Protective Instincts
by aloola
Summary: On a simple mission, the team finds trouble looming when an ancient with a hidden past crosses their path.Now COMPLETE
1. Chapter 1

This is a team fic, again apologies for any medical inaccuracies, I'll post this one in chapters.

I hope you enjoy it and of course concrit gratefully recieved. This is unfortunately not Betaed, so I'm afraid all mistakes are mine.

The characters will be returned to the box when I'm done as I don't own them.

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Protective Instincts

**Chapter One**

'_There are times when you have to start thinking that life just isn't going to cut you any breaks. This was starting to look like one of those times. The whole world isn't necessarily against you, it just feels a hell of a lot like it though. _

_Travel through a network of intergalactic gates is bound to cause problems, Murphy's law states that as an irrefutable fact. If it can go pear shaped, if the gate can fail and if the locals can turn out to be not as friendly as you had wished, then it's going to happen. I just wished it would happen to somebody else sometimes that's all._

"_A peaceful mission" Elizabeth had said, "a quick 'fly in, check out the power signatures that we had noticed and fly home again" mission. Ok, if that was so, then why were we now sitting here, under the shelter of a cliff overhang, soaking wet and me with the worst headache you could imagine and a belly that felt like it was trying to turn itself in side out.' _

John held his throbbing head in his hands as he thought about their predicament. There was one thing he was absolutely sure about as he considered their current situation, Murphy had gotten involved and when Murphy's law gets involved with anything; well...life has a nasty habit of taking a completely different direction and not one that will always end up more pleasant.

It's not that the mission had started off badly; on the contrary. When they had left the city earlier, even Rodney had been surprisingly upbeat. He had actually been eager to get going which, at the time should have had alarm bells ringing on so many levels, but it didn't.

'_If I knew then, what I know now, we would've never have listened to Rodney; we would never have brought the damn thing with us and none of this would have happened; but then they do say that hind sight is a wonderful thing'._

So, they had to sit here, soaking wet and miserable. They were a very long way from home and with a hell of a lot more to contend with than they had anticipated. At the moment, as things stood…as far as John was concerned, their situation sucked.

**24 hours earlier**…

Rodney's interest had been peeked as soon as the initial results from the MALP telemetry had been analyzed. He had been surprisingly eager when the suggestion of a mission to check out the findings had been raised.

His reaction had caused a few raised eyebrows amongst the team at the time, as it was considered normal practice to resort to extreme tactics to entice the physicist away from his lab, engrossed as he normally was in one of several experiments, or involved in a heated debate with Radek. But this time was different, this time he actually seems excited by the prospect of leaving.

He had appeared in the jumper bay with the usual paraphernalia that accompanied him during his off world excursions. His rucksack and pockets were normally bulging with numerous scanners and sensors, with any spare space crammed with power bars.

"Absolutely necessary, the last thing you need is for me to suffer a hypoglycaemic reaction off world, do you" had been his reaction the first time that Sheppard had teased him about it.

But this time as well as the usual, he was also carrying a new piece of equipment, one that they hadn't seen before. It was quite a bit larger than the life signs detectors they used normally. As Rodney concentrated on it's small screen, it started to flash intermittently as he tweaked its controls.

John was vaguely intrigued by Rodney's new toy, he hadn't seen it before and was mildly interested in knowing what it was.

"Rodney quit messing about and get your kit loaded and 'what' exactly is that?" Rodney looked up as John pointed to the machine in his hand and a frown creased his forehead.

"Humm, what, oh this, …well, not that you would appreciate the finer details of how it works, but in 'layman's terms', this is one of the new sensors we discovered whilst we were sorting through one of the labs in the lower levels, we believe it will prove very useful." and with a smug grin, his attention returned to the new sensor.

"And it does what exactly, in 'layman's terms'. John matched Rodney's sarcasm with his own and looked at him expectantly.

"It, well, we're not one hundred percent sure, but we…uh" Rodney looked slightly flustered and then it struck John what the problem was.

"You don't know exactly do you!" he grinned at him and rested his hands on the stock of his P90. "So Rodney," he drawled, 'in terms that we can all understand', why don't you explain to the 'lesser mortals', why you are taking untried and untested ancient equipment on a mission with us, I'm sure we're all really interested to know" and John looked around and indicated the rest of the team. "Enlighten us".

Rodney opened and closed his mouth several times before answering,

"Well.. firstly it is not 'untested', we have done several preliminary trial runs in the lab; and whilst no, we are not 'exactly' sure how it works yet, we are fairly confident that this, uh, 'sensor' will be able to help indicate the location of previously undiscovered power signatures."

Rodney looked at the expectant faces around him and held up the sensor pad.

"I, uh…that is Radek and I, believe that this is much more sensitive that the sensors we are currently using and should prove invaluable once, that is…uh, once we have field tested it, which is exactly what we are going to do today. "

He looked vaguely irritated at his own hesitation, and stucking his chin in the air, turned towards the open hatch of the jumper.

"Right are we going then!" Rodney announced to nobody in particular, turning his attention back to fiddling with the controls of his new 'toy' and walking into the jumper.

John looked at Rodney's disappearing back, lifted an eyebrow then shrugging,

"OK, lets get this show on the road. Are we all loaded?" Teyla gave him a nod of affirmation with a small smile towards Rodney's disappearing back. John returned her smile with a shrug and waited for her to embark with Ronon. Making sure that nothing had been left behind, he then moved forward to enter the jumper and closed the hatch behind him.

As John settled himself into the pilot's chair, he looked back into the body of the jumper at his team. Each member of his team had come from such diverse backgrounds, yet they fitted together like the pieces of a jigsaw. Teyla, who was storing the equipment into it's correct positions for flight had been the leader of her people. She had always been used to offering advise and guidance and as a member of his team, her professionalism and calm nature had proven invaluable on many occasions.

Ronon on the other hand was a man of few words. He had for many years been forced to shun friendship and human company. His years on the run from the wraith had honed his natural hunter's instincts and there had been many times when, without his superior reflexes and deadly accuracy, the rest of the team would have suffered the consequences.

John looked over at Rodney, busily typing into his laptop; glancing at the new sensor as he did, obviously making notes to pass on to Radek upon their return. The man was an enigma, with his tinder dry sarcasm and brusque manner; it was easy to miss the loyal and fiercely passionate side to his nature. John had found himself spending more and more time in Rodney's company since they both joined the expedition originally. Rodney had found the going hard. Friendship did not come easily to him and he had found most people tolerating his prescence but that was as far as it went. John had discovered fairly early on the enjoyment that could be gained out of 'Rodney baiting'. Rodney had, rather surprisingly reciprocated the 'battles' and had warmed to the then Major.

John shook his head at the memory of those first few months in the city. It had been, 'interesting'.

As John finished the last of the pre-flight checks, he was starting to regret the second turkey sandwich he had grabbed from the mess hall as they had headed to the jumper bay. His stomach grumbled and rolled and he was forced to twist in his seat to relieve the discomfort.

"Are you well colonel?" Teyla eyed him with concern. She had noticed the look of discomfort on his face as she had returned to the front of the ship.

"Yeah, damn turkey sandwich isn't settling so well." John gave her his best reassuring smile, "I'm fine. OK folks, let's head out shall we."

As the jumper descended into the gate room, John glanced up to the balcony where Elizabeth stood watching. She was nearly always there when they left. She watched as the jumper lowered itself smoothly from above and then nodded briefly to her military commander as the jumper readied itself for launch. John raised his hand to her in acknowledgment then prepared to leave. He glanced back at Rodney, who was sitting on the bench seat in the rear, his attention totally focused on his new 'toy' and John had to smile, '_some people are SO easily pleased'_ and with that thought, his attention returned to the job at hand and he instructed the jumper to head out.

The trip through the gate was uneventful and as they rematerialized, John initiated the cloak; the last thing they needed was terrified locals. As they headed in the general direction that they knew the power signatures had originated from, John studied the sky around them. There was not a cloud anywhere, the sky was a deep, unbroken blue; perfect flight conditions. '_What more could a pilot ask for'_. He shook his head slightly as a smile played on his lips and he instructed the little ship to head towards the Northern horizon.

The terrain that they travelled over was barren to say the least. There were a few trees scattered around but generally this part of the planet was fairly devoid of any type of greenery. Rock strewn hillsides were the order of the day, with the occasional mountain to break up the monotony.

Passing over one of the dusty plains that seemed to be the norm in this part of the world, a flock of birds lifted into the air. Their drab sandy brown plumage seemed to blend in with their surroundings and they squawked in alarm as they rose into the air. They had obviously been startled by the approaching ship and flew up in alarm, possibly sensing the change in the air movement as the cloaked ship flew overhead. No other signs of life made itself apparent as they flew on, travelling ever closer to their goal.

Rocky cliffs and gorges started to give way to slightly smoother areas of landscape as they travelled further north. After a few more minutes of travelling, the jumper drifted over an immense ridge and they found themselves passing over a large expanse of water. It was the first water they had seen in the barren landscape, so came as quite a surprise as it was quite an extensive lake nestled between two of the higher peaks. As they flew slightly closer to the shore, they could see a small village at the waters edge and people going about their everyday lives.

"Teyla, do you see that, the houses, are they on stilts? Have you ever seen anything like that before", John couldn't help staring at the strange configuration as they flew overhead.

"No, I do not believe any of the worlds that my people have visited had an arrangement such as that. It seems quite unusual"

"Must have a reason", all eyes turned to Ronon and John smiled, Ronon certainly had a way with words.

As they continued over the village, what could only be described as small fleets of fishing boats could be seen spread over the water surface. Their route took them to the northern most edge of the village boundaries and as they flew silently overhead, they could see people working in the fields set back from the shoreline of the lake, tending the crops that grew there. The lush green fields were in stark contrast to the barren, dry terrain they had passed over only minutes before and it seemed strange to see such a vast difference in such a small area.

There were great metallic pipelines leading down the mountain to the hillside bordering the fields, possibly irrigation channels, designed to feed the crops. Maybe the locals were well used to the difficulties they faced growing any form of food source in the unforgiving earth around them.

As they started to fly further across the valley formed by the two opposing mountains, the scanner in Rodney's hand started to bleep furiously.

"Wo-wo-wo, we have a VERY large contact," he stood and looked at the screen in his hand, his face crumpled in anxiety "I have a signal going off the chart here…"

"Rodney, what does 'off the chart' actually mean," John turned, "should I be concerned?" He looked at Rodney's face and didn't like the look of consternation and worry painted there.

"Rodney…"

"Hang on a minute, this shouldn't be happening, let me just…oops!"

"OOPS!.. McKay, that's not a word I like to hear when we are flying towards an unknown energy source, be a 'little' more specific!"

"Oh, oh no, I have a-a bad feeling about this..very bad" Rodney looked up and his expression was anything but reassuring, "Look, this is NOT my fault ok..we checked the readings during the tests and there was NOTHING like this, I…"

"RODNEY!, tell me." Sheppard was getting worried, there was something very wrong. Rodney's fingers flew over the controls of the sensor as he desperately tried to find the answers he needed.

"I don't think the sensor is just detected that energy source, I-I'm fairly sure, looking at these readings that it's causing the energy to focus towards us as well. There's something not right ..this shouldn't be happening,"

Rodney was struggling to keep his voice level and calm, and failing." There was nothing in the tests we did to indicate that this would happen!!" he grabbed hold of the back of one of the flight seats. "Sheppard, there is a MASSIVE energy build up ahead of us," Rodney pushed to the front of the jumper and his eyes scanned the sky in front of them. "It's, right… THERE!" Rodney pointed out of the front screen of the jumper and as they all looked towards where he was pointing, they saw a huge swirling blue cloud spreading across the sky. It looked to be emanating from the two opposing peaks and was moving fast.

The cloud billowed and boiled across the horizon and stretched its translucent fingers across the whole valley from one mountain tip to the other. It had appeared incredibly fast and apparently out of nowhere.

"Sheppard I'm pretty sure that now would be a.. really, really .. good time to change direction, that definitely doesn't look like something we should be flying towards" Rodney was looking at the scanner as he spoke, his fingers almost blurring against the small screen the, desperately trying to find a way to stop the terrifying turn of events from escalating any further.

"Sheppard… that cannot be good." Ronon was standing at the pilot's side when the cloud started to twist at its centre. The tendrils of cloud started to turn inwards, rotating and winding in upon themselves.

"Rodney, turn off the damn machine!" John rapidly turned to Rodney as he spoke, and pulled in a breath as his stomach pulled.

"It- it's, too late the reaction has already started." Rodney's face crumbled, this was his fault.

As they looked on in astonishment, the air was suddenly split by a crack of static electricity and a tremendous surge of energy leapt from the centre of the cloud and headed straight towards the jumper.

John tried to turn the jumper's nose away from the approaching energy burst, but the controls were becoming almost impossible for him to handle.

"Hang on, this is going to get bumpy!" John could feel the vibrations in the yoke beneath his hands gaining strength as the beam approached. The jumper started to buck and weave and he wrestled with the controls as best he could, but it was beginning to feel like a battle he could not win. His arms strained as he wrestled with his diminishing control of the ship. He could feel the strain through his whole body as he struggled to keep them in the air.

"Strap yourselves in, I'm having trouble holding her straight!" John could feel the jumper veering off course but there was nothing he could do about it, the controls had become less and less responsive, and as the jumper dropped suddenly to one side, the wave hit them.


	2. Chapter 2

Protective Instincts

**Chapter Two**

The explosive concussion of the jumper hitting the rocky ground reverberated around the valley like thunder. The impact started a landslide of loose stones down the mountain side and a huge dust cloud was forced into the air, to hang like mist in the morning sunlight. As the dust started to settle on the outline of the crashed jumper it became more and more visible, painting a white silhouette against the grey rock behind it. The front end of the jumper was a mess of twisted metal, half buried in a pile of freshly fallen stone and debris. The gash that had been rent along the side of the ship had taken out one of the drive pods, the circuitry burning and fizzing in the exposed bodywork. There was a further tear in the panelling near the rear hatch, which now hung half open and twisted. The dust settled further and formed a white, almost ethereal covering on the exterior of the damaged ship.

A movement from inside the jumper triggered a further small rock slide, the stones skitting down the incline, only stopping when they came into contact with a group of larger boulders set into the hillside further down the slope. The mountain side here was bare apart from the undulations caused by the larger outcrops of stones. There were no trees here or grasses, no vegetation of any description. The earth was dry and loose, there had not been rain here for a very long time and the ground was parched and starving.

The hatch at the rear of the jumper squealed in protest as it was forced open. It dropped to the ground with a metallic crash, sending a plumb of dust into the air and Ronon limped slowly out. He stopped and put his hands on his knees as he looked around the landscape they now found themselves in. He closed his eyes briefly and stood up, stretching the muscles in his twisted back and turning to look over his shoulder at the gash in the back of his leg. He had been thrown back against on of the benches during the crash and his leg had impacted with the corner. He grimaced at the wound but after taking a moment to look around at where they had 'landed' , he turned and stepped back inside the ship.

The smell of burnt circuits and smashed crystals was in the air and acrid smoke hung suspended around him as he made his way towards the front of the cabin. His legs brushed through the broken equipment laying discarded on the floor of the disabled jumper and he could hear the crunch of broken crystals under his feet as he moved forwards.

Teyla was laying on the floor near the side of the ship, blood oozing from her hairline and dribbling down her face to pool on her neck. She moaned and waved her arm haphazardly in front of her as if waving away a stray fly. She stirred as Ronon knelt beside her. Her eyes flickered open and as she went to push herself up off the floor, she groaned and closed her eyes.

"My head…hurts, I believe I may have struck it on the overhead racks as we, landed" She opened her eyes again and looking around, getting her first view of the wreckage of the ship.

"Rodney…John!" she tried to rise, but was beaten back by a wave of dizziness and sat down again quickly.

"Stay there. I'll check them." Ronon headed towards the cockpit area, moving bags of equipment and wrecked seating from his path as he went.

"Ronon?" Teyla called from her position further inside the jumper's hull.

Rodney was behind the remains of one of the bench seats, unmoving. Ronon looked around him and noticed a blanket that had been tossed against the hull. Grabbing the blanket, he turned back. A groan sounded from the injured physicist, so Ronon returned to his side and knelt. Ronon went to place the folded blanket under Rodney's head, but stopped himself and instead reached out, touching his shoulder. Rodney opened his eyes, looked up at the Satedan looming over him, then closed his eyes again and groaned.

"Oh, I hurt." He lifted his shoulders off the floor and pushed himself up to rest against the cold shell of the ship. Rodney looked around the mess that was the jumpers interior and closed his eyes, sighing deeply, then put his hands to the floor of the jumper to push himself up.

"I really hurt, ..I'm fairly sure I've broken every bone in my body"

Ronon reached out to help Rodney to his feet, but Rodney waved his hand way, grimacing as his shoulder pulled.

"Aah. Don't. Don't do that, now I hurt even more, I can manage." Rodney's tone was filled not only with anger, but with the sound of defeat and despondency. Ronon was taken aback. Rodney was normally the first to complain about everything, but as Ronon had put out a hand to help him to his feet, Rodney had brushed it away and struggled to his feet by himself, Ronon knew something was wrong.

Rodney's hair was covered in dust and there were dirty smears down his face. He had gashed his face on a shard of glass and his fingers brushed against the trickle of blood as he pushed his hands shakily through his hair. His jacket had a tear in one of the sleeves near his shoulder and there was blood on the torn edges. Rodney looked at his arm, poking the torn edges of cloth and then stood looking around the chaos that was the jumper's interior.

Rodney's couldn't hide the distress from appearing on his face as he surveyed the damage that the little ship had suffered. He felt responsible. He felt as if he had betrayed the others. If he hadn't brought the new sensor with them, if only….. he turned to face Ronon.

"It's t-the inertial dampeners, that's the only reason we are still in one piece, thank god they stayed active, we.." he swallowed hard as he took in the damage around him, "..we'd be bugs on the windscreen if they had failed." Rodney looked at Teyla sitting on what remained of one of the side benches, resting her aching head in her hand. He moved towards her, but stopped as a sound caught his attention.

"Sheppard!"

Rodney turned his attention to the front of the jumper, the sound of coughing could be heard. Ronon reacted first. Moving forward, crunching through fragments of multicoloured crystals and heaving smashed chairs and broken boxes out of the way, he cleared a way to the front.

The screen of the jumper had been fractured from top to bottom and there were shards of glass everywhere. The main console itself had twisted out of shape and had dipped in the middle. The co-pilots yoke had snapped off at the point where it met the console and now lay on the floor, like a discarded child's toy. There were rock fragments and small stones littered amongst the burning wires and shards of crystal at the base of the main control panel. Debris had fallen through the break in the front screen and was now strewn across the wrecked consol like pebbles on a beach, and lying across the console like an unloved rag doll, was Sheppard.


	3. Chapter 3

Protective Instincts

**Chapter three**

The first thing that assaulted John's senses as he came around was the bitter smell of burning wires. The fine dust that had entered through the breach in the jumpers screen after the crash, was still drifting in the air. It had settled on his face and lips as he lay there, and as he breathed in, he could feel it leeching into his lungs. He coughed. Bad idea.

The pain that exploded in his head and belly as his lungs rebelled was agonizing. His head felt as if it had been used for football practice, waves of throbbing pain dancing behind his eyes and travelled down into his neck. He opened his watering eyes and tried to focus on where he was. He knew there had been a crash, he remembered struggling with the controls as the energy wave had hit them, but after that, very little was clear.

As he lay still, the pain in his head that the coughing fit had awoken subsided slightly and became a dull throbbing behind his eyes. His stomach though, felt much worse, had he been kicked by a horse and not remembered? He could feel the edge of the console digging into his ribs, had he broken them, was that why he had so much pain? He squeezed his eyes shut and tried to block the pain out. Tried...and failed. Could a dodgy turkey sandwich 'really' cause this much agony?

John blinked his eyes, but they were still stubbornly refusing to focus. He could feel the cold metal of the pilots console under his face as he lay there, but as he tried to look around, anything more than a few feet away from his face was a blur.

"Sheppard?"

John shifted his head slightly on the smashed console at the sound of Ronon's voice. He knew he had to move, lying there wasn't going to help their situation. As he moved his hands up and placed them on the panelling, preparing to push himself up, he could feel the sharp glass fragments slicing into his skin.

"Are you OK?" Ronon was beside him and sounded concerned. John lifted his head up gingerly from the console, but decided it was a bad idea when his head rebelled, so returned to his previous position

"Mm'ok," Laying still felt like such a good idea. Maybe he'd go back to sleep…

"Sheppard!"

"Yeah, yeah, gimme a minute, I'm ok."

"Don't look ok."

"Looks aren't everything you know ..aahh" John had finally pushed himself up, and with a grunt of effort, flopped back into the pilot's chair. Bad move. He put his hands to his face as a wave of dizziness hit him.

'_Not a good move John'_. He felt sick. He must have banged his head pretty hard on the panel as they 'landed'. He sat still and waited for the nausea to subside, heaving was the last thing his belly needed right now.

"Sheppard are you hurt?" Rodney's face appeared beside him, "you don't look good ..oh my god, your head!"

"Rodney, could you tone the volume down a little" John cringed and pushed shaking hands through his dust covered hair, trying to pull himself together. He felt wetness in his hair. _'That's not a good sign'. _He looked up at the pale scientist

"Are you alright Rodney? John looked at the physicist through squinted eyes, the light really stung.

"I, that is, we seem to have, 'landed' in one piece if that's what you mean." Rodney swallowed and looked away for a moment, "no thanks to me, that is" Rodney's retort caught John by surprise. Yes Rodney could be scathing, but this self depreciation was new.

"What do you mean, 'no thanks to you', we crashed Rodney, end of story"

"Look, if I hadn't brought the new sensor.." Rodney looked at his feet.

"You weren't to know it would be a problem Rodney, anyway we don't know for sure that it was the sensor that caused the crash". John could feel the sweat breaking out on his body as he sat there; he didn't need an argument right now, his head was screaming for attention and his belly was campaigning for it's own piece of the action, loudly and painfully.

"Of course it was the cause," Rodney was getting more and more agitated, "what else could it have been" he spat. "it was the only 'unknown' variable.

"Rodney, this is not a world that we have visited before", Teyla's voice drifted quietly from the body of the jumper. "We cannot be sure that there was not another reason for what happened"

Rodney turned and looked at Teyla. She had a field dressing pressed to her head and was sitting against the hull of the ship.

"It's my fault," Rodney waved his arms around him, "this would never have happened if I hadn't wanted to rush through the field tests, it's all my fault." He walked to the rear of the jumper, then lowered himself gingerly down to sit on the open hatch.

"Should I..?" Ronon indicated towards the back of the scientist.

"No, give him a minute." John closed his eyes and gathered his strength. He couldn't sit any longer; however rough he felt. He needed to assess their situation, he needed to take back control, he needed to deal with what had happened, and he couldn't do any of those things sitting in a chair.

Gathering what remained of his strength, he placed his hands on the arm rests of the chair and pushed himself up.

"Woah, that's, 'different'." He swayed to the side and grabbed the console as he did. A face plant at this moment wouldn't help matters at all. Ronon reached out to steady the swaying pilot. John put up a hand, he needed to get this done by himself

"I'm good, just" he swallowed hard, "just, give me a minute." John closed his eyes and swallowed again. This was becoming easier said than done, but he had no other choice but to get through it. He waited several seconds before risking opening his eyes again. This time he didn't feel as if he would lose his lunch straight away, but things were still a bit blurry.

"Ok," he took a breath and looked around him. Teyla had managed to stand, and was now leaning against the jumper wall, still holding a dressing to her head, but looking a bit brighter. Ronon was still hovering at his side looking concerned and as he stood there, John noticed that he was favouring one leg.

"You ok big guy, what's with the leg?" John indicated Ronon's lower shin and the torn trousers, which were now stained red.

"I'll live, it's not bad." Ronon shrugged as he looked down at his leg. "Had worse."

John knew that there were things he needed to do. He needed to make sure that Teyla was ok. He needed to make sure Ronon took care of the wound on his leg, and he needed to talk to Rodney, but his priority apart from those things, and staying upright, was finding out where they were and how bad the damage was.

As he looked around him, he got his first real glimpse at the damage that the ship had suffered and his heart sank. There was no way that they were going to fly out of here, of that he was sure. The front console was wrecked, there were crystal fragments littering the floor and the burning smell that had assaulted his senses upon waking had not diminished.

Moving slowly so as not to infuriate his already pounding head, he made his way to the rear hatch, and to where Rodney sat. His hand hovered over his right hip as he moved, occasionally pressing the spot on his belly that was aching, hoping to ease the pain there, but failing.

"Rodney?"

" There's nothing more to be said, leave it alone "

"I can't do that," John rested his hand on the hatch frame, "I really need to know if there is anything salvageable in the systems, see if we can get a message back to Atlantis somehow..Damn it!" John put his hand to his head as he felt a trickle of blood run down his face. His head hurt. There was a large cut above his eye and as he probed it with his fingers it throbbed mercilessly.

"Rodney, we can't do this without you." Rodney turned and looked at John, "Look, nobody is blaming you Rodney, we don't know what happened, and until we do, lets not go jumping to conclusions ..OK" John really wasn't in the mood to argue with Rodney, they needed to assess the damage and he needed Rodney's help for that.

"We need to get out of here, so let's look at what we can do, and not dwell on what's behind us …OK?"

"I can't fix the ship you know!" Rodney turned and looked at John as he spoke, fire burning in his eyes. John smiled thinly at Rodney's words,

"I know Rodney, this is way beyond genius, but you need to see if there is anyway of jury rigging a com device…you're the only one who can do that, and we need your help"

John leant against the hatch frame as he spoke. His legs felt weak and he was suddenly shaking. He closed his eyes and concentrated on keeping calm. He knew there was something wrong with him, but he didn't know what it was.

"You know there are probably no whole crystals left, don't you." Rodney grumbled as he walked past John and back towards the front end of the ship.

"Well, let's try and work with what we've got should we, you know, stay positive." John pushed himself off the door frame and turned to follow Rodney, who had now made his way back inside the hull. Teyla was binding Ronon's leg as they made their way forward, she looked considerably better than she had before, there was now a dressing attached to her head, covering the gash there and she gave John a weak smile as he passed.

Rodney spent the next thirty minutes picking over the remains of crystals and circuits under the front console. He managed to connect his laptop to the system, but after numerous attempts to get any response from the systems proved fruitless, he gave up with an exasperated sigh.

"The only thing I can do is initialize a distress beacon. If, and I do mean 'if' a rescue party comes through the gate and manages to find this area, they 'may' be able to pinpoint the position of the jumper," Rodney sat on his haunches looking at John."You really look terrible you know, what other part of that scrawny hide have you injured?"

"I'm, fine McKay." John tried to sound reassuring, "My head is killing me and I think I've pulled a muscle in my side, but apart from that, I think I'll live." John mentally crossed his fingers as he spoke, the pain in his belly was getting worse by the hour, and a new pain in his back had decided to join the party, he now felt decidedly sick.

"Well can you stop dripping blood on my laptop and go get someone to dress that 'crater' in your head." Rodney returned his attention to fiddling with the wires in front of him. Teyla touched John's shoulder,

"Let me clean your head John, we can do nothing more until Rodney has finished," John nodded in resignation, then realizing his head didn't like being nodded, closed his eyes and sat down while Teyla began her ministrations.

Twenty minutes later, Rodney was ready, "Ok that should do it!", Rodney stood and wiped his hands on his trousers. "If anyone comes looking for us, which they should when we are overdue. They should pick up the signal I've initiated. Now all we have to do is leave a trail of breadcrumbs for them to follow!"

They had packed whatever supplies they could salvage from the jumper into two rucksacks. Water they knew they would need, bearing in mind the barren landscape and they had salvaged as many power bars as they could from the debris.

"Ok, we know the village is due south of us," John shrugged on his pack, grunting with the spike of pain it attracted. "I reckon we have about a ten mile hike ahead of us, everyone set?"

Nobody spoke as they set off down the hillside. The slope was unstable, with loose stones and sharp rocks waiting to catch an unsuspecting ankle. They made slow going. The incline was steep and each step hazardous. Several times John had to catch himself as he lost his footing, each time gasping as another spike of pain made itself known. Ronon's leg was causing him more pain than he was letting on, so John ordered regular rest stops. Rodney broke out the power bars during one of the rest breaks and offered one to John,

"I'm good, you take it.." John knew that if he ate anything at the moment, there was a real likelihood that it wouldn't stay down for long. His stomach burned with pain. His back was aching abominably too and he could only assume that he had a case of food poisoning, though he had always considered himself to have an iron stomach, eating whatever he liked.

The light was starting to fade as they continued down the mountainside towards the valley bottom. The bright sunshine that had been their companion for most of the journey was now starting to fade from the sky.

Up until now, the sky had been a clear deep blue, completely unbroken, but as the light started to disappear, it had taken on a decidedly grey hue, and as they watched, clouds started to form from the Eastern horizon. John looked up at the sky and a frown broke on his face.

"I don't like the look of those clouds, we may have rain on the way, I think we may need to start looking for shelter." The last thing they needed right now was a storm. John turned and looked at his team. They weren't in the best of shape, one with a large dressing on her head, one limping on a bloodied leg and one sullen and holding an injured shoulder.

As they stumbled further down the slope, John suddenly felt the first wet splatter of rain on his face, he stopped and waited until he was level with Ronon.

"I think we could use that shelter now, I'm fairly sure I saw some sort of overhang up there on the left" John pointed to the area he had mentioned and Ronon nodded in affirmation. "Ok, it looks like that's the only cover around here, we'll head over there" John pointed in the direction they needed to go and then the heavens opened.

The rain didn't just fall gently from the sky, it thundered down. John led the way over the slope, which was becoming more and more slippery as they traversed across it. Where before had been bone dry slopes, now there were rivers of mud and debris, catching their legs and threatening to send them crashing down the hill side.

They reached the rocky outcrop just as the torrential rain moved up a gear, lightning cracked above them and thunder rumbled ominously. The water crashed down on the ground, sending stones flying into the air with a force unlike anything they had seen before. As they sat sheltered under the stone overhang, John looked out across the valley, hidden by the mist of driving rain. He knew there was a village out there, but as he wrapped his arms around his aching body and hunkered down to attempt sleep, what he didn't know was weather they would be welcomed as friends, or as enemies…


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four**

John was rudely awoken by Ronon nudging him in the back. He hadn't realized he had fallen asleep. The last thing he remembered had been sitting trying to keep the fading warmth from leaving his body, he must have drifted off. He looked around him, unsure of where he was, then the events of the previous day reformed in his mind. As his bleary eyes struggled to focus, he suddenly became aware of the first vestiges of light struggling to break through the still driving rain and it struck him that he must have slept through the night. Who had kept watch! How could he have fallen asleep without arranging sentry watches! He also suddenly became acutely aware of the sweat running down his face and realised how hot and sticky he felt. It was cool under the overhang of rock, especially with the rain beating down, so he knew that that wasn't a good sign. He remembered feeling anything but warm last night as they had stopped there to rest and concern flooded his mind. To have fallen asleep so quickly was wrong, very wrong. His hand drifted unconsciously down to his side. The pain there was sharp and unforgiving.

John turned and looked at Ronon, remembering why he had awoken in the first place. The sudden movement aggravated his side again and he grunted in pain as he twisted around.

"We've got company.." Ronon gestured down the hillside with a nod of his head and John turned back to face the opening. The storm was still pounding the ground outside. As he narrowed his eyes and squinted into the rain, just visible coming up the hillside was a group of approximately five people.

As the figures approached the rocky outcrop, they became more visible through the beating rain. They were clothed in drab brown colours, as if to blend in with the landscape around them; their bodies covered by thick cloaks that swirled at their feet as they made their way slowly up the incline. The material looked almost like buckskin; the rain bouncing off their bodies as they approached.

John was on his feet immediately and stood, swaying. He tilted slightly over to one side as his head swam but still grasped his P90 in his hands. Ronon's blaster had materialised in his hand automatically as soon as he had seen the group approaching. Teyla and Rodney were at the rear of the rocky overhang, they had shouldered their weapons seconds after John had reacted with his.

John turned to his team,

"We don't know if these people are hostiles or not yet so let's stay calm and find out what they want." John stepped slowly forward as the first of the group approached the rocky opening.

"My name is Lt colonel John Sheppard, we are here as peaceful travellers, we mean you no harm." As he knew nothing of their intentions, John thought it best to play safe, so decided to be fairly selective with the truth about their situation. "Our ship was caught in a storm a while ago and we were forced to land a bit further up the mountain." John swallowed hard and leant over to one side slightly to ease his back, he could feel the burning pain nagging at him as he stood there and standing up too quickly hadn't helped the situation with his head, which was threatening to send him sideways again.

"Your 'ship' was caught in the 'beam of lightning', we saw you fall from the sky."

The figure at the front of the group stepped forward as he spoke and finding himself out of the rain, removed his hood.

He was a man of about fifty years, he stood as tall as Ronon and his rugged features and unwavering eyes, gave him an immediate air of authority. The rest of the group followed suit and stepped under the shelter of the overhang, naturally falling in line just behind the taller figure.

"I am Jarek, we bring greetings from Tralos and an offer of assistance to you." The man stepped forward and raised his hand in a gesture of greeting. John hesitated before mimicking the gesture in return. Jarek seemed pleased with the response, his posture relaxing slightly. John turned and gestured with his hand for weapons to be lowered and then turned back to the strangers in front of him. The four others in the group had lowered their hoods as they stood under the shelter of the rock. They were all adult males, all middle aged, with well tanned skin. Their faces showed all the signs of years spent out of doors, skin hardened and creased with lines. Jarek smiled,

"We are truly sorry for your troubles. You seem to be hurt, we only wish to help. Was your craft damaged badly during it's 'landing'?" There seemed to be genuine concern in the man's voice, but John still felt the need to be cautious.

"We took some damage, but we hope to be able to leave once we've done the necessary repairs" he saw the incredulous look on Rodney's face and gave him a barely perceptible shake of the head, he needed to keep some aces up his sleeve until they knew more. Rodney looked away and tried to keep his face impassive. John gestured behind him,

"This is Teyla Emmagen, Ronon Dex and Rodney McKay," John had turned and indicated the rest of the team, "as I said, we are peaceful explorers. We came to your world to find new trade partners, but unfortunately ran into your 'beam of lightning'."

"That was very unfortunate, 'colonel' is it? We have seen many craft taken by the lightning over the years, most have been destroyed completely, you were very lucky that your ship was not also destroyed.."

"Well, we're lucky people." John smiled at Jarek, "how did you find us here?"

"One of our villagers saw your craft go down and knew the area that you had 'landed' in. We came to offer assistance as soon as we were able."

"You are very kind, how far is your village from her" Jarek looked at Teyla as she spoke and smiled warmly at her.

"It is close enough, maybe one half hours walk from here," he indicated down the hillside, "will you accept our hospitality, it is offered with good intentions and you certainly look as if food and warmth would not go amiss?"

John turned and looked at his team. As much as they stood stoically, he knew that warmth and food probably wouldn't go amiss, they needed to regroup and talk about their options. He could see that Teyla was struggling with her balance, her head injury need attention, as did Ronon's leg; even though he wouldn't admit it. Rodney stood silently at the side and John knew he still felt in some way responsible for what had happened. John was also well aware that there was definitely something seriously wrong with his insides and he had a nasty feeling that it wasn't food poisoning. He knew they couldn't stay here much longer and the thought of warmth and being able to dry their clothes was appealing.

"Thank you, we would be honoured to visit your village, but only until we can affect our repairs, we wouldn't want to outstay our welcome" John smiled at Jarek, but still felt uneasy, and until he knew more about these people and their 'lightning beam', he knew that feeling would remain.

"Excellent, gather those things that you need and we will return to the village, my wife will prepare food upon our return."

"Do you, um, use citrus, by any chance, in your food" Rodney looked innocently at the team as they turned and frowned at him, "What! you know I can't tolerate citrus." John was incredulous and shook his head. Jarek looked puzzled and looked to John for an explanation.

"Sorry Jarek, my 'friend' here doesn't always observe the niceties of social etiquette when we meet new people, who.." he looked at Rodney and frowned, "..have offered their hospitality so generously. Rodney be nice."

"But I.."

"Rodney, quit griping and pick up your stuff, lets get out of here." John's patience was rubbing thin as he returned his attention back to the villagers, "Jarek how often do you get rain like this, the ground seemed very dry?"

"Ah, the rains only occur twice yearly and always it is bad for us, we suffer much from flooding during the first days, when it is at its worst. But we are prepared, we learnt from experience that the lake rises during the rains, so we build our houses to cope. We are people of the land, we take the bounty that the lake provides in the way of fishing and we raise crops as we are able."

"Ah, we noticed your houses were built up, we couldn't work out why"

"Yes, 'colonel' the water takes a long time to diminish. We realised long ago that by building our houses on legs, we would be able to moor our craft as close as possible during the flooding times. We can discuss such matters in greater depth later, when we are in more, 'pleasant' surroundings; we have learnt to overcome many things in our time." Jarek looked expectantly at the team, "Are you prepared to depart, the path that travels back to the village is not an easy one and care needs to be taken."

The villagers lifted their hoods and stepped back into the rain. Jarek gave them a final warm smile before replacing his own hood in preparation for the journey.

"Ok, lets grab the gear, Ronon, your leg gonna last the trip big guy?"

"I'll survive, had worse as I said" Ronon shrugged and picked up his pack, ready to head out.

"Teyla, Rodney, lets stay close, the last thing we need is to lose someone on the way down, are we ready?" Seeing nods in affirmation, John turned back to Jarek.

"We're all set, shall we head out?"

"Very well, please stay close to us colonel, the path can be treacherous during the daylight hours, let alone at night." With a final look around what had been their home for the last few hours, the team headed out into the pounding rain.

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Sorry about the short chapter,hopefully the next one will be longer. I would like to thank everyone who has taken the trouble to post a review, it helps a lot!


	5. Chapter 5

What can I say...Thank you so much for the reviews and kind comments. This will be quite a long story, but I'm thoroughly enjoying writing it!!

**Chapter Five**

The journey down the hillside was gradually turning into the journey from hell. Every step that John took drove bitter edged spears of pain through his stomach and back. He had never in his life experienced anything that even came close to the agony that his body was suffering at this moment. He was too hot, he could feel the sweat mingling with the rain as it showered down his face. He ached abominably, there didn't seem to be a muscle that wasn't rebelling in some shape or form. He head throbbed, the gash above his eye seemed to pulse in time with each step he took down the slope and at this moment in time, there was absolutely nothing he could do about any of it.

'_Beckett, I could really do with your sharp pointy needles right now.'_

He'd had broken bones before; anybody serving in the military expected that sort of thing to happen, he'd suffered concussions, he'd almost turned into a bug; but even those experiences paled into insignificance compared to this. This he had been totally unprepared for and if he was honest, it scared him, because he had no control. With a broken bone, there was the inevitable cast; with the concussions, there was the 'torture' of being woken every hour, but this…..He pressed his hand firmly against his side as he negotiated the path in front of him, trying to hold the pain at bay, but each step only brought a new level to his torment, it was transcending his normally high pain threshold and pushing way beyond.

Jarek had taken the lead as they had left the relative comfort of the rocky outcrop and stepped out into the deluge. He was now closely followed by two of the villagers; no words had passed between them but they obviously had an unspoken and deep respect for the taller man, and had fallen easily into step behind him. Next came Teyla, who also appeared to be struggling with the treacherous slope, her feet slipping on the loose rocks and slimy, mud covered ground. Rodney had fallen silent during the journey, his early grumbles and muttering replaced by subdued resignation as they continued downwards. John glanced behind him to the two remaining villagers, who had taken up position at the rear of the group, and then at Ronon. The tall Satedan had said nothing during their descent, he had by his very nature taken the rear most position of the group, preferring a position of defence above all others. As he stumbled on the rough ground, it was apparent that he was favouring his right leg and also struggling to remain upright on the difficult ground.

As John's attention returned to the group in front of him, he glanced briefly up at the mid morning sunlight struggling to break through the downpour, the muted rays watered down and sickly.

His attention was wandering and he chastised himself, shaking his head and blinking blurry, pain filled eyes, trying to regain his focus. His attention was not on the path directly ahead of him and he failed to notice the dip in the ground; he didn't see the leading group step over the depression and it wasn't until his foot dropped suddenly that he realised his balance was gone.

With a cry of anguish, John flung his arms forward to stop himself. He was falling and the only thing that flashed through his mind was _'damn, this is going to hurt'_. He felt his hands make contact with the stony ground. The mud squeezed through his fingers and the water sprayed up into his face as he landed. He landed hard. The muddy gravel shifted as he made contact and he felt himself sliding forwards through the mud. He cried out as he made contact with Rodney's legs, knocking him forwards. Rodney, not expecting the impact from behind, was totally unprepared, and was immediately thrown to the side, landing on the ground, the breath knocked from his lungs.

John lay on the ground as he came to a slow stop, his breath coming in heaving, splintered gasps. His momentum having been halted by the impact with Rodney's legs, he now lay in a tangled heap, battered by the continually pounding rain.

He had struck his head on the ground as he fell and he could feel the wound above his eye throbbing with renewed vigour. He couldn't stop the groan of pain from escaping through his clenched teeth, and as he brought his knees up to his chest, he shuddered. He wrapped his arms around his battered belly defensively, the muscles in spasm and cramping. He squeezed his eyes closed in an effort to block out the pain. The agony had reached a level he had never felt before and it burned.

"John!" Teyla's voice rang out, concern lifting the pitch of her voice. She ran to her stricken friend and knelt in the mud. She tried to turn John onto his back, she needed to find out what, if any, damage he had done to his already hurting body.

"John, what happened, John please..?" Jarek appeared at Teyla's side as she knelt in the mud and concern deepened the lines on his already craggy features.

"Sheppard..?" Rodney had managed to scramble to his feet from the sodden earth at the side of the path and was now standing next to Teyla, worry etched on his face.

"John ...have you injured yourself further, did you slip?" Teyla couldn't disguise the fear in her voice as she tried to get through to her fallen comrade.

Rodney's face was reddening as he blustered,

"Oh, oh great, I knew it, he's broken something hasn't he. Absolutely fantastic, just what we needed," Rodney was teetering on the brink, "That is just so..so, typical, after everything else, he breaks something now ..!"

"Rodney! .." Teyla turned her attention back to the colonel.

She was fairly sure that he had been hiding the true extent of his injuries from them ever since the crash. She had seen the pain reflected in his eyes when he had thought she wasn't looking, she had heard the soft grunts of pain when he had moved and she had noticed the way that his hand had constantly hovered over his side. She had assumed at first that he had indeed pulled a muscle as he had stated, but as time had progressed she had begun to doubt him. There was definitely something wrong that he had wanted to keep to himself and she was now very worried, she knew him too well. He was lying on the soaking ground, arms wrapped protectively around his torso. She could see his body shaking and his eyes squeezed shut against the obvious misery that was being inflicted upon him.

"John, can you hear me, ...you need to tell me where you are injured." Teyla turned and looked at Jarek,

"Jarek, how much further is the village, I believe the colonel has been badly injured, we need to find shelter as quickly as we can," Teyla returned her attention to her stricken friend. Jarek could see the concern in the faces of the colonel's friends as he looked around him, even the quiet one standing to one side, he bemused the Tralosian, never speaking unless prompted, but always alert, his eyes never still.

"The village is very close, we approach the boundary markers even now" Jarek pointed ahead of them and Teyla could just make out a parallel row of stones set into the ground down the slope ahead of them.

"We should hurry," Teyla turned to Rodney, who stood wiping his hands down his already soaked trousers. " Rodney, we need to transport the colonel as quickly as we can," she looked over at Ronon as she spoke, "Ronon would you take the colonels pack, we," she indicated at Rodney, "we will need to bear his weight between us." Ronon looked about to argue with Teyla's decision, but changes his mind when he saw the set look of determination on her face and the lift of her jaw.

"Tyro!" Jarek called to the villager who had travelled closest to him, "Run ahead, we will need lodgings prepared, see to it that Mena is made aware of our approach and send a runner to fetch Ga'neth."

Jarek returned his attention to Teyla, " Mena is my wife, she will make preparations for our arrival. I have sent for the healer Ga'neth, he lives apart from the village, but he will come if we send word of our need." Jarek returned his attention to Tyro, "make haste, there is little time to lose!

John groaned as his senses returned. He shook his head. Bad move. His stomach rebelled and he struggled to swallow back the impending nausea.

He could hear the voices above his head and could make out most of the conversation, but his hearing was zoning in and out. He became vaguely aware of Teyla and Rodney kneeling either side of him. He could feel hands trying to lift him onto his feet, but uncurling himself from the protective position he had taken was another matter altogether. As his body unfurled, he felt something change inside. A burning pain shot across his abdomen.

"Aah, t-that's not good."

"John what has happened, where are you hurt" Teyla was relieved that John has finally spoken, she needed to find out the extent of his injury.

"Its my stomach, I.." John swallowed hard as a wave of nausea threatened to overwhelm him. "I think, …I've torn something up inside pretty badly, I don't know… " John struggled to stand upright as he spoke, leaning over sideways to try to alleviate the burning pain that was tormenting him.

Rodney looked at John's posture and it suddenly struck him. The pain in Sheppard's side, the sweats, the cramping… he snapped his fingers as the idea took shape.

"Oh my god, Sheppard …'please,' tell me you've had your appendix removed..!" Rodney looked into John's eyes and immediately saw the answer he really didn't want reflected there.

"I knew it, well actually, ..no, I don't know for sure, but for the love of…" he was incensed. "Every other child has his appendix removed," he indicated John's shaking body, "apart that is from 'Captain Stoic' here, even I've had mine removed for goodness sake!" Rodney was pacing now, anger and concern fighting for space on his features.

"Here we are, miles from anywhere, no Beckett, no medical facilities and," he stopped and looked at John's pain filled expression, "this is not good Sheppard, if it's your appendix …this is not good, we need… I-I can't begin to imagine what we need."

"What is this 'appendix' you speak of" Jarek was confused, he looked from Rodney to Teyla.

"It's a useless piece of muscle in our bodies. It usually sits quietly doing absolutely nothing, then one day, when you least expect it, it turns up the volume and…hey presto, pain, pain and more pain", Rodney's expression changed, "I had to have mine removed years ago, it nearly burst," he swallowed nervously, " I was lucky…they caught it in time, I was quite young really…."

"Rodney, if this is as you say, we cannot stay here, we must move on to the village" Teyla looked at Jarek, "Your healer…the one you call Ga'neth, will he be able to aid Colonel Sheppard?" Teyla held hope in her eyes as he looked at the tall Tralosian.

"Ga'neth is a skilled healer, he has been called upon on many occasions to help our people. I believe that I do recall an occasion when one of the villagers suffered as your colonel does with the illness you speak of. Ga'neth was able to help relieve the pain and I believe the boy recovered. There are some in the village that refer to him as a worker of miracles, he is very, very old and wise."

"He does not live amongst your people?" Teyla was puzzled.

"No, he chooses to live alone, solitude is important to him, but he is kind and generous in his dealings with our people. "Jarek cast a glance at Sheppard's shivering body and indicated that they should continue down the path.

"We should make haste," Jarek started down the path, indicating that they should follow. John resisted Teyla's efforts to walk forward, and she hesitated,

"T-teyla, if it's bad, you know, if anything happens to me.." John coughed, his arms again finding themselves wrapping around his belly.

"John, do not speak of such things!" Teyla was shocked at the weakness she heard in his voice, "we will be at the village shortly, Jarek has sent for a healer, all will be well. "

"The ..aah" he shook his head, "the pain isn't so b-bad ...I think it's settled a b-bit." He lowered his arms slightly from their position of comfort around his torso and tried to stand upright.

"That's not a good sign Sheppard.." Rodney couldn't help himself, he knew he shouldn't be the bearer of doom and gloom, but he was fairly sure he knew what was happening, "if the pain goes, that could mean, uh, I mean" he gulped, "..that could indicate…"

"Rodney, I probably don't w-want to know do I.." John gave Rodney what he hoped was a reassuring smile, but was fairly sure it came across as a grimace.

"Well, I… that is, um… I was fine after mine was, you know removed.."

"I m-may not have that option, that's why, Teyla.." he looked at her as he spoke, "you need to make sure t-that the team are taken care of.. if.." he closed his eyes and tried to control his breathing; easier said than done.

"John, you will be fine, we must give the healer a chance to help you." Teyla's voice took on a steely resolve as she looked at Rodney and nodded her head. They lifted John and took his weight, looking in the direction of Jarek who had stopped and now stood waiting for them. Teyla indicated that he should retake the lead and as Jarek lowered his head in a gesture of respect and turned to head towards the village, Teyla could only hope that they would find the help they desperately needed.


	6. Chapter 6

Well another chapter bites the dust, Thanks again for the reviews, I am astonished at the response and humbled.This ones a bit longer, I hope you enjoy.

**Chapter Six**

The approach to the village took the group around a huge rocky incline. The path had obviously been cut into the rock face many years previously, as the rocks above them were covered in an accumulation of compacted mud and what appeared to be root material. The rocks overshadowed the group ominously as they manoeuvred their way carefully along the well trodden pathway.

As they rounded the natural course of the hillside they got their first real view of the village itself, spread out on the valley floor. The houses that had been set high above the ground as they had flown over the area during their original flyby, were now surrounded by water. The stilted walkways that had surprised them yesterday now made complete sense. The water of the lake had risen at an astonishing rate in a very short space of time, and now tumbled roughly around the wooden posts of the raised buildings, waves pushed around by the wind that also drove the rain into needle points that pricked the skin as it thundered down. The houses were well spaced apart, each building having its own mooring space. Craft of various sizes bobbed contentedly at their designated pitch points, chafing at their ropes and for all intents and purposes looking like dogs struggling to be loosened and set on the hunt.

As the team approached the outskirts of the village, they began to get a much clearer idea as to the true size of the structures around them. The homes were of various sizes, some single storey, but many were much bigger and towered above them as they continued forwards, following Jarek's determined pace. There were many smaller homes scattered around the lake edges, lights glowing from small glass paned windows. As they travelled through the village itself, the path started to split off into smaller well worn footways, but Jarek continued along the main path and led them towards a larger more imposing building at the centre of the scattered properties. This building was set alone, surrounded by a large square of worn cobbles. The rise of the land meant that the water had not reached this area, but again, the house was set high above the ground, a walkway running to the main entrance way.

As they stepped onto the walkway that approached the building, the main door was opened and a warm glow emanated from the interior, giving the figure that appeared an almost ethereal quality. The woman moved forwards as the group approached, her ruddy face creased with concern. She stood tall, there was an immediate look of authority about her, she had the look of one well used to issuing instructions. Her figure was plump, but her clothing looked neat and clean, if plain. Her face held the look of someone who had experienced life to the full; she bore the same weathered skin and tanned complexion as the others from the village. She turned back towards the entrance way as they approached the building, shooing aside the group of villagers who had obviously gathered inside; all eager to catch their first glimpse of the strangers.

Jarek entered the building first. He immediately approached the woman and kissed her cheek.

"Mena, these are the travellers. They will be our guests and are in need of warm clothing and food." He turned back to the team, "this is my wife Mena, she had made preparations for our arrival." Jarek gestured for them to enter further into the hallway of the building. There was a great wooden stairway leading off the hall directly in front of them, and various anterooms led off to the left and right. The decoration was simple, the wooden walls sealed and covered with a rough coating of some form of thick white plaster. There were several pieces of obviously hand carved furniture against the walls and Jarek gestured for them to rest on a larger bench situated at the base of the staircase.

"Mena, has Ga'neth arrived, these people are in need of his healing?" He turned and indicated towards John. "This one is badly hurt, have we a room prepared?"

"We started the preparations soon after the arrival of Tyro, my love. There are fires started in the guest rooms and Ga'neth should be here presently." She turned to two villagers who stood to one side, obviously waiting for instructions. "Gather the.." she looked at the packs laying on the floor where they had been abandoned, dripping and mud stained, "..the 'luggage' of our guests please and place it in the room we have prepared.

"No, there is no need.." Teyla picked up her pack and indicated that Ronon should do the same with his, "we can manage, you have been very generous to help us as much as you have, we…" she looked at John's closed eyes and slumped figure on the bench seat, "..we need to help our friend, he is very ill."

"Of course," Mena gestured with her hands and the two servants walked towards one of the anterooms, opening the door and entering.

"Please follow me, I have sent for dressings and hot water to treat your wounds, we are a simple people but we are able to treat most ailments ourselves with the herbs that we grow." She walked towards the room that the servants had entered and waited for the team to follow.

"Rodney, please.." she gestured for Rodney to help her lift John to standing, and between them they half carried him into the room.

There was a roaring fire in the stone fireplace and the room was furnished simply but comfortably. There was a large wooden framed bed along one of the walls and two carved chairs near the fire. A bench seat similar to the one in the hallway outside, stood on the opposite wall. Teyla placed her pack down on the floor as they stopped and between them they gently lowered John onto the bed.

Ronon dropped his pack down and hopped to one the chairs, lowering himself gingerly down onto the seat. The seat groaned under the weight of the Satedan, but held firm.

Teyla knelt on the floor beside the bed and pulled one of the packs towards her. Opening the side pockets she began to assemble the meagre medical supplies that they had brought with them on the bed covers. There were several field dressings as well as Tylanol capsules and two ampules of morphine. When the other pack had also been stripped of its emergency supplies, Teyla sat on the edge of the bed, took a deep breath and started to strip off John's soaking vest and jacket.

The door to the room opened and one of the young serving girls entered with a sideways glance at the group by the bed.

"Ga'neth approaches lady,"

"Very good Malina, please escort him through as soon as he arrives." Mena turned her attention back to the centre of the room. Her eyes flicked to the assembled medical supplies scattered on the bedcover.

"Do you carry such things with you always?" She looked surprised and baffled.

"We have found that in the course of our travels, we often have need of medical supplies, and so we carry them with us at all times, yes."

"Ah, I see.." Mena's face creased, "Jarek informed me that you are travellers seeking trade agreements, is that not so?"

"Yes, we are from a world that has been ravaged by the Wraith, and food is not so readily available as it used to be." Teyla found the lie slipping off her tongue easily. She mentally crossed her fingers and told herself that she was not far from the truth, but as John had said, it was far better to keep some, 'Aces up your sleeve.'

"Wraith, we have not heard of such a race as they..?" Mena looked slightly concerned, "do these 'Wraith' that you speak of ravage many of your worlds?"

"You have never heard tell of the Wraith here?"

"No, should we have?"

"I… am very glad that the Wraith have not touched your world. Many have lost their lives to them." Teyla had been startled by the frankness of Mena's admission, and felt no reason to disbelieve her, but…. to find this world untouched was miraculous.

"We are a simple people as I said, we do not travel beyond the confines of our world. There is a 'circle of stone', many, many days walk from here that we have heard allows travel to other places, but its use is forbidden."

Teyla allowed a small smile to play on her lips as she spoke."The stargate that you speak of is how we came to your world. We have travelled to many places in search of trade partners through its portal, we have normally found it to provide safe passage."

Teyla returned her attention to the job at hand, and she moved to remove John's vest. He groaned as she touched the fasteners at the front and she hesitated briefly before carrying on. His eyes flicked open and he looked up at her as she struggle with the saturated material. He gave her a weak smile and tried to lift himself off the bed as she pulled the vest off his shoulders. His jacket was covered in mud and again soaked, sticking to his arms as she tried to pull it off. After several attempts, he was finally free of the muddy clothing and he lay back on the bed, his body shaking with cold and fatigue. The pain that had been his constant companion had dulled to a burning ache across his belly. The change in intensity could, in his mind, only mean two things. Either he wasn't as badly hurt as he thought, or…. He pushed at his belly with his hand, again trying to ease the burning pain and was shocked to feel the skin tight and hot under his fingers. He looked up into Teyla's face and swallowed hard.

"John, what is it..?" Teyla had seen the change in his expression and she felt her stomach knot.

"Teyla ..I think R-Rodney was right…."

"John, the healer is very close, we must give him a chance.." She turned and stood as the door to the room opened and Malina entered. She stopped once she was through the doorway and turned, then in a gesture of complete respect, stepped aside to allow the figure behind her to enter the room.

He was clothed from head to toe in a long flowing amber cloak, the edges embroidered with patterns of such delicacy, they seemed almost out of place. He stood tall against the girl who had entered before him and she now backed out of the room and disappeared down the hall, shutting the door after her. The hood that was drawn forward over the figures face concealed his features in shadow, but the wisps of a long beard could be seen as he approached the group.

"Oh my god ..its santa..!" Rodney's voice held distain and horror in equal quantities as he took in the figure before him.

"Rodney, please .." Teyla turned and gave Rodney a look of disgust, then returned her attention to the man as he drew level with her. His hands were thin and bony as he raised them to the hood and drew it back to reveal his face for the first time. The eyes that met Teyla's were kindly, but they were also striking in that they were coloured the deepest blue, almost black. She was taken aback and struggled to find words. Mena sensed that introductions needed to be made and stepped forward.

"Teyla, this is Ga'neth, our healer and seer. He has come to help, if he is able."

Teyla composed herself and stepped towards the man, dipping her head in greeting. Ga'neth responded in kind and then looked around the room, casting his piercing eyes at all of the inhabitants.

"Mena, I will need the herbal preparations from the cold store and the… ," he looked around as the door opened and a woman entered with bundles of white linen strips and a pot of steaming water, "…ah, as always, you are ahead of me." He smiled at the young woman and indicated that the provisions be set down by the fire. His voice was like liquid silk, it soothed the soul and caressed the stressed mind. The young maid reached into the pockets of her apron and withdrew the small glass bottles she found there, placing them on one of the chairs.

"Ga'neth, these people have travelled a long distance to see you, their craft was damaged by the 'lightning' and they were injured." Mena indicated the four as she spoke.

Ga'neth absorbed the information and Teyla was fairly sure that she caught the flicker of something cross his face as he heard Mena mention the 'lightning', she was not sure, but concern tugged at her mind as she studied his face.

"Ah ..the lighting, you were indeed fortunate to survive, not many who are caught in its flare are so lucky!" Ga'neth glanced at the medical supplies piled on the bed next to John's shivering body and then gestured for the young maid to move to the side.

"Now, what have we here," he spoke as if to a child as he approached Ronon and knelt before him, reaching out to touch his leg. Ronon withdrew his leg before the old man could touch it.

"I'm fine, Sheppard needs the help, not me."

Ga'neth smiled deeply at the Satedan, "we all need help at some moment in our lives young man, and this moment is yours. If you wouldn't mind?" Ga'neth reached out once more, looking straight at Ronon as he did. Ronon looked at Teyla for support, but she only gave him a stern stare in reply.

"I will not hurt you, I intend only to assess your wound and treat it as necessary, nothing more." Ronon looked once more towards Teyla, but seeing her eyebrow rise, he grunted in resignation and nodded to the healer in consent.

"Excellent, now, you appear to have quite a deep wound on your lower leg," he looked at Mena as he spoke, " we will require the infusion of Hellion root to fight any infection that may be present and wrap the wound well." Mena nodded at the instruction and indicated for the young girl to do as indicated.

He moved on to Rodney, who looked anything but impressed with the old man.

"Look, I'm very sensitive to plants you know. I have, um, allergies to lots of things…this may not be a good idea….OW!" Ga'neth had turned Rodney's arm to examine the gash in his skin, much to Rodney's chagrin.

"That hurt! ..what are you doing ..I, now hang on …" Rodney blustered as the old man examined the wound.

"Yes, again the preparation of Hellion root for this one also, but I do not believe that we need to bind this wound."

"What!.. What do you mean, not bind the wound… I'm bleeding! ..any fool can see that."

"Yes, the wound has been bleeding, but that has now ceased and I believe that there is more that the air can accomplish than a binding."

"Ronon gets a bandage…." Rodney muttered as Ga'neth moved away and approached the bed where Sheppard lay.

The healer sat on the edge of the bed and looked carefully at the shaking body before him. He studied the wound on John's head. He noticed the sweat dripping from his face onto the covers below. He took in the clammy skin and glassy pain filled eyes and he saw John's hand pressing clumsily at his side. Ga'neth paused and closed his eyes for an instant before turning to Mena,

"This one is not so well. There is poison running through his veins, I…"

"What, …what do you mean poison, poisoned by what!" Rodney was on his feet instantly.

"There is poison inside." Ga'neth indicated John's abdomen. "It is spreading through him as we speak, I will try to heal the damage, unfortunately it is beyond the capabilities of the preparations we would normally use." Ga'neth closed his eyes and placed his hands over the side of John's belly.

"Ga'neth is a natural healer, he has abilities that our people have never been able to match." Mena stood to the side and watched as the old man knelt silently by the bed. As they watched, the healer's hands, suspended above John's body began to emanate a soft glow from below. John began to writhe as the light intensified. Suddenly Ga'neth cried out in anguish and stood, backing away from the bed.

"I cannot heal him. I must leave."

"Leave, what do you mean leave," Rodney was incensed, " … You, you're Ancient!" Rodney stood in front of the old man, "You are aren't you!"

"I cannot help him, I must go" Ga'neth pushed Rodney to the side and opened the door, walking quickly out and down the hall.

"Stop, Ga'neth ..what has happened." Mena was mortified, nothing like this had ever happened before, she couldn't understand and she looked at the new comers to explain it to her. Anger spiked her voice as she turned,

"What have you done to him. He is our healer and our council ..what is this 'ancient' you speak of?" Worry drifted across her brow as she looked from one to the other of the team. The door opened and Jarek entered.

"Mena, what has happened, Ga'neth has left, he appeared distressed." Jarek approached the centre of the room and looked around expectantly, "Why has this happened!"

"Jarek, we do not understand any more than you do. He was tending to Colonel Sheppard's injuries when he stopped suddenly and left, we do not know why." Teyla didn't know what to think. The sight of the healers hands illuminating left her with no doubt that the old man was indeed ancient, but why would he refuse to help.

"Teyla we need to find him." Ronon's voice rose from the back of the room. " You know as well as I do that he is the only hope that Sheppard has got now, we need him back here." The steel in Ronon's voice spurred Teyla to decision.

"Jarek, we know who Ga'neth is, we have met his kind before, but they have generally shown great compassion to others, we do not understand what may have happened to affect him so." Teyla stopped as a groan sounded from John's direction. Teyla knelt by the bed and took John's hand in hers. The heat she felt beneath her grasp was intense. As she looked at his face, she saw nothing but pain written there.

"Is there anything we give him Teyla, something …anything?" Rodney wrung his hands as he spoke, his eyes flicking from Teyla back to Sheppard.

"Yes Rodney, I believe the morphine may help." Teyla picked up one of the ampules and snapped off the top exposing the needle beneath. She plunged the needle into John's leg and released the contents. As she watched she saw the lines on his face soften as the drug took effect. Teyla took one more look at the resting features before she stood and turned.

"Mena, we need to find Ga'neth, he is the only one who can help our friend, please help us, we need to find out what is wrong …why he couldn't continue with the healing." Teyla could hear the desperation in her own voice, but she couldn't hide her fear.

"He is a solitary man, he shuns company and has done for many years… I- I cannot remember how long he has been our healer, it has been many, many years, nothing like this has ever happened before …." Mena looked deflated, she sank onto the chair beside the fire, " Jarek will guide you if you wish to go to him …" She closed her eyes and put her hands in her hands, it had been too much to bear. A thought struck her and she pulled her hands away from her face "You said Ancient…" she looked up as she spoke and saw Rodney's shocked expression, "what is ancient?"

Rodney didn't know where to begin,

"Um, well ..the ancients are a race of super beings, who colonized the galaxy millennia ago. They have the ability to heal and they ..um ..they ascend." He lifted his arms in a gesture of flight as he spoke. "Yes, I think that pretty much sums them up, now Teyla shall we go." He indicated the door and the direction that the healer had taken.

"Ascend?" Mena looked confused. Rodney gave a resigned look at his team mates and turned back.

"Yes, they ascend. They take a form other than this," he pointed at his body, "they rise to a higher state of being!" He was desperate to get away from the conversation, he couldn't see it ending well.

"We have met many ancients in our travels and they are generally good people," Teyla was eager to defuse the situation, they needed to find Ga'neth.

"As I said, Jarek will guide you." There was resignation in Mena's voice and it suddenly struck Teyla who the leader of this village was. She had thought all along that Jarek held sway, but it was Mena who was responsible for the lives of her people.

"Rodney we must leave now. Ronon, please stay with the Colonel, if the need arises for additional medication…." She left the sentence unfinished, Ronon would know what to do.

"Mena, are you sure that we should do this," Jarek questioned his wife.

"I do not think that these are bad people Jarek and I believe that we need to know what has happened to Ga'neth."

"Very well, we will find cloaks for you, the rains are still severe." He looked at Teyla and Rodney expectantly and turned to the door.

"I am so sorry for what has happened, we meant no harm to your people" Teyla felt that she needed to justify herself to Mena, none of this was her fault.

"I do not hold you responsible 'Teyla', I also am sorry for the pain that your friend has to endure, I sincerely wish there was more that could be done, but it is beyond our capabilities."

Teyla dipped her head in respect to the woman. She glanced for the final time at John's shivering body, then turned and followed Jarek and Rodney through the door.


	7. Chapter 7

Again my many thanks to all who have read and reviewed. I am already writing chapter 8, and hope to post within the next couple of days. There may be a few Common Ground spoilers creeping in during the next couple of chapters so, just to let you know in advance. Anyway, on with the tale...

**Chapter Seven**

The rains continued to thunder down as the three left the confines of the village boundaries behind them and started the long trek towards the rock strewn slopes at the base of the mountain. Jarek had indicated that Ga'neth's dwelling was to be found near the top of the first rise, close to the source of the irrigation channels, so they had headed in that direction.

The rain showed no sign of desisting, saturating the ground and displacing small stones as it hammered the soil. Teyla found herself pleasantly surprised at the water repellent quality of the cloaks that Jarek had supplied them with as they had left the shelter of the house. They were surprisingly light in weight, the material formed from a type of tanned leather, but they were very thin and flexible. The sound of the rain beating a constant thunderous rhythm on the ground made conversation difficult, so the journey so far had been conducted in near silence. Conversation had proven difficult anyway when they had left the village centre, Jarek had appeared uncomfortable in their company; such a contrast to the previous journey they had taken together, when he had been anxious to help. A sullen look had descended onto his face, he wouldn't look either of them in the eye and suddenly the surrounding countryside held a deep fascination for him. There were many questions that all of them knew needed to be answered, but nobody felt this to be an appropriate place or time to ask.

The irrigation pipes coursed further up the incline and disappeared over the high ridge ahead of them. The path that the group now found themselves on seemed to follow closely alongside the meandering track of the pipework itself, which coiled around the undulations of the hillside like an untamed snake. The metallic sheen seemed somehow out of place on the desolate hillside and Teyla couldn't help wondering who had taken the original decision to construct such a thing; the pipes seemed out of place in this simple farming community. The people who lived and worked this land did not strike Teyla as the kind of people who would be capable of constructing this form of watercourse, the complexity of the metalwork seemed way beyond their limited technology. Jarek glanced across and noticed that Teyla was studying the waterways as they walked and he seemed to take a moment, considering weather there was the need to explain. He came to a decision and fell in beside her on the path, then shouting to make himself heard above the cacophony of thundering rain, spoke.

"The waterways were build many, many years ago, before my time. I believe they are fed by the ground water that rises up in the mountain." Teyla was surprised at the suddenness of Jarek's decision to confide in her, she had felt that he was too uncomfortable in their presence to consider a conversation, she was taken aback. But as she opened her mouth to speak, she was beaten to it...

"Underground springs!" Rodney stepped forward level with the others, joining the conversation. He had to raise his voice, in a direct challenge to the thunderous sound of the rain, as he realised what Jarek was referring to. "Yes ..yes, there must be a system of springs under the hillside, a ready made ..'corner store' of water for use during the dry periods ..clever!" he was surprised, he also had noticed how out of place the metallic structures seemed compared to the level of technology, or lack of, they had seen in the village itself. The houses had been lit by oil lamps and the heating in the homes were basic open fires….

"You have no idea who built them then?" Rodney's interest was peeked.

Confusion registered on Jarek's face. "We have never needed to know," a frown creased his brow, "they have always been here and they provide us with water for the crops that we grow during the long dry spells, knowing that has always been enough for us. We have never felt the need to question their origins or who built them, they disappear into the earth, we do not know where they go."

"How long have your people lived here Jarek, did you come through the 'stone circle' originally?"

Jarek was taken aback by Teyla's question.

"We have .. always lived in this place, it is our home land. The stone circle was discovered many generations ago, but a warning was also discovered that stated that no-one who crossed into the circle would return, it has been forbidden to approach or touch the circle since that time."

" Soooo, you've never used the DHD, ..um, the pedestal with the ..um symbols on the top..?" Rodney couldn't help himself, he found it impossible to believe that these people had lived with the gate under their noses for generations and had never once been tempted to use the symbols to dial out. As a scientist, the thought of leaving a piece of alien technology untouched was out of the question; unheard of, even if it did snap him in the backside every so often. As he waited for a reply, he noticed Jarek's gaze dip to the ground in discomfort, then with a resigned sigh, Jarek spoke.

"There is tell in our oldest writings that many, many years ago, generations before my time, visitors came to our world through the circle. We do not know who they were, as I said it was long, long ago in our past. It is written that they were travellers from a distant world, but any further details have been lost over the years."

"Travellers ..from where, what did they come here for." Jarek shrugged his shoulders and shook his head at Rodney's insistent probing, then Rodney's face lit up as an idea started to form in his mind.

"Ancients!... it had to have been," he looked from Teyla's to Jarek's faces as they both peered at him expectantly,

"Don't you see, … the weapon.." a wistful look appeared on his face as he spoke, "it must need a tremendous amount of power to operate something that powerful, ..oh my god ..we may be looking at a ZPM!!!!"

"ZPM?" Jarek looked confused, glancing from Teyla to Rodney's faces, waiting for an explanation.

"Yes, yes, …it has to be," Rodney ignored Jarek's question in his excitement, "the fact that we have an ancient actually here, must indicate that there is MUCH more to this place than we thought originally!"

"You came to trade did you not?" Jarek was starting to sound uneasy.

"Ah, yes, that was our aim … originally." Rodney looked at Teyla as he continued, " but this has to change things. Teyla if there is one ZPM, there may be more. This is … unexpected to say the least."

"Rodney, these people are good people …" she looked hard at the physicist as she spoke, "they know nothing of the technology that you refer to, they have lived their lives on the land, taking that which the land provides, they have no knowledge of the ancients."

Jarek looked confused, the conversation had born words that he had never heard before, he did not understand their meaning and he was starting to look troubled.

"What is this ZPM you refer to, and what of this 'weapon', we have no such thing here!."

"Zero point module .. very small, but VERY powerful energy source."Rodney held his hands out, indicating the approximate size of a ZPM, "they were developed by the Ancients to power their, ..um" he looked Teyla for help, but her face remained impassive and she lifted an eyebrow to indicate that he was on his own. " …their, city ships ..and other things"

"City ships?" Jarek looked amazed and as they stood on the path with the rain thundering down, he shook his head in doubt.

"You are mistaken, there have never been any 'city ships' here. We have not seen anything that is as you describe."

"No, you don't understand … they would have come through the gate originally, they …"

"Rodney, should we not wait until we can speak with Ga'neth before jumping to 'conclusions'?" She could see that Jarek was uncomfortable with the way the conversation had gone. He looked shell shocked, his face had lost it's original confidence.

"Jarek, how long has Ga'neth been your healer?" Teyla decided to calm the situation as best she could, and changed the direction of the conversation as they continued walking.

"He is more than just our healer. He acts as our seer and closest advisor. It has been our custom to call our healer during times of dispute, he is our mediator, he is wise in many, many things."

"I bet he is," Rodney muttered under his breath and Teyla gave him a sharp look as she encouraged Jarek to continue.

"There has always been a healer in the village, it has been the custom for many generations. As the years pass by and the healers grow old and are near death, it is customary for a new healer to be chosen from the elders. The elder who is chosen to learn the arts, travels into the mountains with the existing healer and they will then spend many months together to allow the arts to be passed down. The old healer, having passed on his wisdom, can then travel to the afterlife unburdened, knowing that the villagers will be well cared for. The final act of transferral takes place as a passing of spirit between new and old healer, with the new healer then responsible for the burial of the old."

"So the elder who is chosen as a replacement, is the strongest, the wisest?"

"No Teyla, the elder chosen is usually the oldest and weakest, the one who has been suffering from an illness, or is not far from death themselves. The travel into the mountain is seen as a test of spirit. Upon returning to the village after the months away, a great strength can always be seen, a new beginning. It is considered a great honour to be chosen." Jarek's face took on a farway look, "It is sad that we do not have the opportunity to bid farewell to our old healers, but that is the way it has always been, they are buried high up in the mountains; it allows for a swift passage to the afterlife."

As they continued up the path towards the crest above them, Rodney moved to walk in line with Teyla, leaning in as he spoke.

"Teyla, if this 'Ga'neth' is as we think, an ancient… it could explain their healer mythology."

"How so?" Teyla was confused.

"Well, think about it. They have the ability to heal, they live 'indefinitely', they are 'wise' in many things, come on .. its got to be! Ga'neth has to be one of the original ancients who came here!"

"But why remain here, why has he not ascended as is their custom?" She had questions herself that needed answers, but she had to admit that Rodney's words did make sense, "and why would he not help John?"

"Hmmm,I have no idea, I have to admit that that makes no sense at all, but I do think the conversation we have with 'Ga'neth' will prove to be extremely interesting."

"Jarek, is the dwelling you speak of much farther?" Teyla thoughts had focused once more on her injured team mate back in the village. The images of John laying in that room back in the house, suffering and in dreadful pain, tormented her and the sooner they reached their destination, the sooner they would find out what had happened earlier in the day. She couldn't shake the picture from her mind. The sight of John writhing on the bed as Ga'neth had been healing him and then the look of shock and disgust on Ga'neth's face as he had pulled away. What could have happened to have caused such an extreme reaction, what had Ga'neth found that had revolted him so.

"It is over the ridge up ahead, we are very close now." Jarek set a determined pace as they neared their destination. It had been a difficult journey for him, and one that had brought too many issues to his mind.

As the top of the crest came into view through the driving rain, they could see that the waterways came to an abrupt end, the metallic pipes disappearing into the ground. They could also just make out the small, rough hewn entranceway set into the rock face behind and above the rise. As Jarek approached the cave mouth, he hesitated and looked back, waiting until Teyla and Rodney were level with him. They paused briefly to regain their breath after the steep climb and then proceeded towards the cave entrance.


	8. Chapter 8

Well here we are again, another chapter bites the dust. I'm hoping there should be only two more to go, so whoever has stuck with it...we're near the end. Thanks again for the kind reviews and ..here we go...

**Chapter Eight**

Ronon wasn't used to sitting still, he had come to the conclusion many years ago that his body just wasn't made to be stationery, he needed to be moving all of the time, weather it had been evading the ever present threat of the Wraith or taking a leisurely jog down the corridors of Atlantis in the early morning with Sheppard, he needed to be on the move.

His years on the run from the Wraith had instilled in him the need to never stay in one place for too long. He had grown used to the constant changes of scenery as he had travelled from one planet to the next, never over staying his time, for fear of discovery and capture. He had grown used to his time as a loner, he had needed very little in his life on the run, there had never been enough time to forge friendships ..or relationships. He had known, from the very moment that his woman had died during the first attacks on Sateda, that he would not and could not allow himself to become that exposed emotionally again. He had closed down. He had allowed himself to become hardened and bitter, keeping all comers at arms length and retreating into a world pervaded with violence and pain.

Then he had encountered the people from the City of Atlantis. Their first meeting had been ..interesting, especially after he had been forced to hang McKay upside down from a tree, but even after that, they had still treated him as a human being and not as an animal. He remembered how taken aback he had been when Beckett had offered to remove his tracker. There had been so little friendship in his life up until that moment and he had reacted with a customary distain, untrusting of the team and what he had considered at the time to be, their ulterior motives.

Time had shown him how different these people could be. Time had introduced him to the friendships that had been missing from his life for so many years. The feeling of belonging had returned to his life and time had given him back a family.

As Ronon sat with his eyes closed, chair pushed back onto two legs against the wall, he allowed a smile to touch his lips as he thought about how much his life had changed, compared to before. There had been moments when he had considered his life to be well and truly over, when he had thought it could get no worse, but the new beginning that he had been offered and his friendship with these people had shown him that change had been possible.

The roaring fire that had been set and lit in the grate was now well established and its warmth had leeched into every corner of the room. Ronon savoured the intensity of the blaze and allowed himself to relax slightly as the searching fingers of flame twined between the logs in the grate.

He was alone in the room, Mena and the serving women had left earlier to prepare meals for the occupants of the house. Mena had seemed unwilling to leave and had hesitated at the door, her thoughts obviously filled and preoccupied with what had transpired earlier. She was fully aware that events had occurred that could irreparably change their way of life, but she was also unwilling to forego her role as leader of the community, and had shown that she still needed to show compassion to these strangers. She had shooed the servant out of the door and returned to Ronon's side. She had offered clean clothes to the Satedan and suggested food, but Ronon had shaken his head in answer to her, and she had reluctantly turned away and with a glance at the sweat drenched figure on the bed, had left the room.

Ronon opened his eyes as the smell of drying leather assaulted his nostrils. As he looked down at his clothes, he could see the steam lifting away from the drenched long coat that was still wrapped around his long frame. He stood, the chair settling back onto four legs as he did, and stretched his back out, the bones creaking and cracking in response to his movement. He pulled the coat off, threw it over the back of the chair and turned the chair to face the fire. The chair overbalanced as he moved it and threatened to fall, but he caught it before it hit the floor, uttering a Satedan curse as he did so. He glanced across the room, unsure as to weather he had disturbed the figure on the bed, but no movement was forthcoming and only the sound of broken, shallow breathing could be heard. Ronon breathed a sigh of relief and returned to the task at hand, settling the chair in front of the spluttering wood fire. As he turned looking for alternate seating, he noticed the other matching wooden chair against the far wall, walked over and sat, again eliciting a creak from the carved seat as he relaxed into its frame.

As he settled back into the chair, he glanced across at the figure on the bed and a frown played across his features as he considered the events that had transpired since they left the safety of the city. This shouldn't have happened. If they had only waited. If they had delayed their mission even for half a day, maybe the symptoms of Sheppard's illness would have been more apparent before they had departed and he could have been treated by Beckett, instead of ending up lying here, with no hope except for the ministrations of an old ancient. Ronon felt bitterness and anger build in his heart towards the old man. To leave anyone to suffer the pain that Sheppard was experiencing now… How could he justify calling himself a healer. How could these people look up to him with such respect when he was capable of turning his back on a dying man.

Ronon had seen this illness that they had spoken of before, he had seen one of the men in his unit suffer in agony for two days before they had been able to transport him to a hospital unit. They had been under attack far inland from their city headquarters. They had been pinned down by the enemy fire and had been forced to shelter in a copse for the night. The enemy had been searching the surrounding countryside for them and they had needed to keep a low profile. There had been no way to gain access to medical help for the suffering man and in the end they had been forced to gag him to prevent his screams of pain giving away their position. It had been hard enough to see a member of his unit suffer, but he found it intolerable to have to sit here, watching his friend suffer in the same way, with no hope of any respite from the inevitable outcome.

Ronon had watched his unit commander die. He had been there when the field medics had tried to drain the pungent contents from the soldiers belly; he could remember even now the smell that had invaded his senses, the smell of putrification and death. He could not let that happen again. If there was anyway of making the old healer perform a miracle, then Ronon would make sure that it was done; whatever happened, he could not stand by and watch Sheppard die the way his unit commander had.

Ronon lifted himself off the chair and paced the room. He studied the pictures that adorned the walls; scenes of tranquillity, pictures of the lake and surrounding area. He moved on, finding himself beside the packs they had brought with them. He squatted, hissing as the wound on his calf pulled, his hand unconsciously drifted down to push at the dressing wrapped around it. He pulled the pocket open on the pack closest to him and took out a Power bar, ripped the wrapping off and bit into the sweet, dense block. _'How could McKay love these things so much'. _

The pack next to him had been pretty much ransacked during their frantic search for medical supplies and Ronon busied himself replacing the contents as he squatted on the floor, he needed to be occupied, he wasn't good at sitting still for long.

A soft groan caught his attention and he pushed himself up to standing and moved over to the side of the bed where Sheppard lay.

Sheppard's eyes had flicked open and he was gazing around the room, his eyes glassy with unsuppressed pain. He grimaced as he looked around him, his breath catching in his throat as his body moved slightly.

His hand dropped down to his stomach, clutching at the sweat soaked black shirt as he suddenly remembered where he was.

"Ronon..", his voice scratched in his throat, barely a whisper and Ronon lent closer to hear him.

"Here Sheppard."

"Thirsty.. I'm r-really thirsty .." Ronon looked around the room and saw the pitcher of water on the small table by the door. There were two glasses beside the water jug and Ronon lifted one and filled it half full with water and returned to the bedside. Placing his arm under Sheppard's head, he lifted him up enough to allow him to take a sip of the cool liquid. Sheppard coughed as the liquid hit his throat, then gasped in pain, his eyes wide as the cough pulled at the muscles across his abdomen.

"Aaah..damn, that r-really sucks.." Sheppard lay back on the bed, sucking in small gasps of breath, fresh beads of sweat dampening even more the already saturated pillow beneath his head.

"How's the pain?", Ronon felt helpless, there was very little he could offer the stricken man, except more pain meds "do you want more morphine..?"

Sheppard shook his head and bit down on his lip as another wave of pain washed over him. He pressed his head back into the pillow and fought to regain control over his rebelling body. He felt sick, but again struggled to keep the nausea at bay, swallowing repetitively, begging his body to obey his commands.

"Sheppard, is there anything….." Ronon could only look on as his friend struggled for control.

"W-water…Ronon," Sheppard closed his eyes. He was incredibly thirsty, yet the thought of taking anything down filled him with dread; he knew that his belly would almost certainly take offence and rebel, but he also knew that he desperately needed the cooling liquid.

Ronon held the glass and again helped Sheppard to lift his head off the pillow. Ronon could feel the shivering under his hands as he supported the weight of his friend. He could also feel the intense heat coming off Sheppard's body as he struggled to sip the water and Ronon could only guess at how serious their situation really was; how long they had before the inevitable happened. If Rodney was right; if this was the same illness that had killed his commander all those years previously, they really didn't have much time left.

"Ronon," Sheppard swallowed and tried to steady his shaking voice, "Teyla and R-Rodney..?"

"They left, they went after the healer."

"L-left, why.." Sheppard's brain couldn't grasp what Ronon had said.

"W-why, did they leave?"

"They went for help." Ronon looked at the furrows forming on Sheppard's brow as he tried to absorb the information, his body was burning up and he was obviously struggling to process information.

"They'll be back soon. They needed to go fetch the healer."

"Healer..?" Sheppard was confused. Had he seen the healer arrive.. when? When had that been…he remembered a figure in the room, but he couldn't remember much about who it had been or what had happened after he had arrived.

"Ronon.." Sheppard gripped Ronon's arm tightly and his eyes widened in disbelief, "We crashed!..we crashed after w-we were hit.." His grip relaxed and his eyes took on a distant, unfocused look. Ronon could feel his stomach clench, Sheppard was disorientated, delirious with the fever that was coursing through his body.

"Sheppard, they'll be back soon, you should rest." Ronon didn't know what else he could do for his friend. He was burning up and without the healer, he would only deteriorate further.

"Ronon..w-where are Teyla and Rodney..did they leave?" Ronon could only look down in response, muscles tightening in his jaw.

"Rest Sheppard, they'll be back soon…." He felt totally helpless. The only thing he could think of to do was to try and reduce Sheppard's temperature, the catalyst for his delirium. Mena had left behind a bundle of the linen wrappings behind when she had retreated to the kitchen with the serving woman, they hung limply over the bedside table. Ronon reluctantly left Sheppard's side and taking the dressings, walked over to the side table where the water jug sat. The water was still cool in the ceramic vessel, the walls thick enough to keep out even the heat of the roaring fire and for that Ronon was grateful. He returned to Sheppard's side, and pouring the cool water onto the cloth strips proceeded to wipe the cooling clothes over the sweat drenched face before him. Sheppard reacted to the touch on his skin. A shudder passed through him and he tried to push the hand away. The sudden movement brought a gasp to his lips and he turned onto his side, pulling his knees up to his chest in desperation. His head span and nausea suddenly assaulted his weakening body. He had not eaten in two days, so the resulting dry heaves brought no comfort only more agony.

"Sheppard, I'm going to give you another shot of morphine, it'll help." Ronon grabbed the final ampule, knowing that it was the only relief he could offer the suffering man and hoping that they wouldn't need any more.

As he pushed the drug into Sheppard's leg, he closed his eyes, offering a silent prayer to whoever was out there that Teyla and Rodney would find the healer and convince him to return in time.


	9. Chapter 9

Well this is the penultimate chapter, only one more to go. My thanks again to the people who have taken the time to read and review.

**Chapter Nine**

The pelting rain stung their faces and exposed hands as they approached the gloom of the cave entrance. Even the hoods which were pulled down low over their faces couldn't completely protect them from the torrent. The rain formed an ever increasing number of small rivulets as it tumbled down the hillside behind them, the water turned muddy brown by the savaged earth, as it disappeared down the slope. The group struggled the last few metres up the incline towards the rough hewn entranceway, desperate to find relief from the driving rain that had been their constant companion during their journey from the village.

As they finally crossed the boundary into the rock hewn dwelling, Teyla was the first to react to the suddenly dry interior and lowered her hood. Water dribbled down the folds of the cloak, pooling on the compacted earth floor at her feet as she got her first real look around. Rodney followed closely behind Teyla, grumbling as he shook the water from his hair, spraying the Tralosian behind him in the process.

"What is this guy, a Neanderthal!" Rodney wasn't impressed as he followed Teyla's lead, and loosened the leather cloak from around his shoulders. His eyes took a moment to adjust to the low light levels as he took his first look around the interior of the cave and it's spartan decorative style.

The first thing that struck them as they wandered around was the gloom of the interior, there was no evident lighting. Although they could see that there were oil lamps suspended from hooks on the bare walls; they remained unlit. The only light entering the cave was the watery, muted light cast from the entranceway behind them.

The cave expanded outwards from the doorway, stretching approximately twenty metres or so back into the gloom to where the roof dipped down towards the back wall where they could just make out a low carved wooden bed sitting against the wall itself. There were thick blankets thrown over the wooden frame, dragging haphazardly on the floor as if abandoned in haste. A small carved wooden table stood positioned by the side wall of the cavern, with a single chair tucked underneath; Ga'neth it seemed, liked to gave the impression that visitors were not expected to linger long once inside.

"Jarek, Ga'neth does not appear to be here, is there another dwelling that he may use as well as this?" Teyla turned to the tall Tralosian as she spoke,

"No Teyla, this is Ga'neth's home. This is his place of retreat…he prefers to live a solitary existence, though we have always been made most welcome when we have come here." Jarek turned and looked around the room, as if searching for the healer, but the cavern was completely empty. "This is most unusual, Ga'neth has always been here when we have come before, I do not know where he would have gone if not here?" Jarek was confused by the absence of the old man, he had expected the customary greeting as they had approached, but none had been forthcoming.

"Perhaps he needed time to compose himself after…" Teyla was unsure how to continue and an awkward silence filled the dull interior.

Rodney started to fidget, wandering around the cave perimeter, poking furniture and lifting the bedding as if hoping to find the man hiding beneath. His curiosity had been peeked by the stark simplicity of the interior and the total lack of any personal detail. There were no pictures on the walls, the floor was bear; there was nothing at all in the space of any sentimental nature. It didn't feel right, Rodney immediately felt unnerved, he started to get the distinct impression that there was something missing, something not quite as it should be. As he walked towards the back wall of the cavern, he dug his hand into his jacket pocket and drew out the small scanner that he had secreted there when they had left the crashed jumper. He had found himself unable to abandon all of his equipment in the wreckage, unable to give up those items that were in his mind, essentials.

"Right, shall we see if our 'ancient' has any 'hidden extras' secreted around here?" He flashed a small, tight smile at Teyla as he started to slowly scan the walls of the cave. Jarek looked on in amazement as Rodney walked along the walls, studying the small screen in his hand.

"What is this thing that you use?" Jarek's tone was uncertain as he followed Rodney around the room.

"What, this.." Rodney waved the scanner haphazardly towards the Tralosian "..this is probably way, way above your level of understanding, but in words that you 'may' understand, it should hopfully be able to tell us weather your 'healer' is as he makes out or.. if there is more to him than……..AH..HA!!!" Rodney stopped and held the scanner towards a section of the cave wall directly behind the bed.

"I knew it!, I'm definitely picking up a power source here," Rodney started to prod at sections of the wall, methodically searching for the source of the power signature.

"Yes!..I knew it, Teyla look…" Rodney had pushed at a section of the back wall and a small panel popped open, exposing a compact interface.

"What we have here," Rodney pointed at the interface, " is an ancient control panel…..Hmmm, lets see what 'the healer' has been hiding shall we." Rodney set the scanner down on the bed and after studying the blinking panel for a few seconds, pressed a sequence of touch pads, each decorated with a different glyph.

The wall behind the bed disappeared.

"Rodney, it was shielded!" Teyla had started backwards when the wall had vanished, but now she moved to study the scene before her.

The wall that had vanished had been hiding a massive corridor. The walls were plain and smooth, in deep contrast to the rough rock face of the cave. There were lights set in the ceiling at regular intervals and doors led off the passage at either side. The feel of the décor was distinctly ancient; there were small sculptures on thin columns placed between the doors, and plants sat in smooth, deep blue urns, softening the harsh grey interior. A gasp from behind her forced Teyla to turn. Jarek had collapsed onto the solitary chair, a hand covering his mouth in shock.

"What is this! What is this evil you have conjured! What have you done with Ga'neth!" Jarek shook his head as he looked at the vision in front of him. It couldn't be real, the wall couldn't have just disappeared, there had to be powerful forces at hand.. he felt the fear catch in his throat.

"Please, tell me…what is this madness that you have created!."

Rodney replied smugly. "This is what you have had hidden from you by your buddy Ga'neth. The man that you've known as your healer, has been concealing his real identity from you for God knows how long!"

"Rodney!" Teyla threw Rodney a disapproving look as she tried to placate the terrified Tralosian. "Jarek, this is not an evil thing," she gestured towards the corridor, "the wall that you saw was false, it was created by a powerful energy to hide the rooms beyond. It is nothing to be afraid of, but we need to find out if Ga'neth is to be found inside. Will you come with us; we only wish to find Ga'neth and help Colonel Sheppard. It is very important to us that we help our friend, he is gravely ill, do you understand?"

"But the wall vanished, it is unnatural!" Jarek was confused. There had been so much happen in the last few hours. So much that he did not understand. So much that challenged his ideals and his idea of a safe and stable life. He now feared not only the people in front of him, but he feared for the safety of the village.

"I do not understand what has happened. We have lived for so many years trusting our hearts and eyes. Now I do not even trust my eyes. I see things that I know cannot be, but I know that I have to accept what my eyes tell me now. It is…. difficult to accept, I- I am confused."

"Jarek, please trust me when I say that we were not aware that this place existed here, it was purely by chance that Rodney was able to find the control panel. We are as shocked as you." Teyla squatted next to the man, whose previous strength had been ousted and replaced with an expression of fear and mistrust.

"Look, we need to find out what is going on. Teyla we need to go now!" Rodney indicated down the corridor in front of them. Teyla rose from her position beside the Tralosian.

"Jarek, we must go. We need to find Ga'neth. If you do not feel comfortable following, then we will find you upon our return. I am so sorry." Teyla felt the need to apologise even though they had done nothing wrong. She felt partly responsible for the current turn of events and it saddened her greatly.

"Teyla.." Rodney was growing ever impatient, waiting by the entrance way for the Athosian to follow him into the corridor beyond.

"We will return Jarek, we……" her words stuttered to a stop as Jarek suddenly rose to his feet.

"I will accompany you" his voice broke with emotion as he spoke, but he held his head high, "I cannot understand what has happened here, but the safety of Ga'neth and my people are important to me; we.. we have been friends for many years." His eyes misted as he spoke, the reality of the situation hitting him hard.

"We will go together, I shall accompany you, I have a great need to speak to Ga'neth now also, I wish to hear his words, words to explain this all to me." Jarek indicated for Rodney and Teyla to proceed him, and the group started down the corridor.

Travelling down the corridor reminded Teyla considerably of the walkways back in the city of Atlantis. It reminded her of home, the home that she now shared with the rest of her team and the other members of the expedition; the people who were so much a part of her life now.The grey smooth walls reminded her of the morning runs that she occasionally shared with her friends, with Ronon and John.

Thinking about John, her heart sank and she was forced to remember the gravity of their situation and why they had come. The look of anguish that had flashed across John's face as they had left the room; and the look of fear that had settled across Ronon's as the door had been closed, now returned to torment her and she shook her head to clear the images from her mind.

"Teyla, ahead…" Rodney pointed towards the doors blocking the corridor in front of them, "now,hopefully this should work, unless he's locked us out…Ah yes!" the doors slid open under Rodney's touch and he couldn't stop his jaw from dropping as they found themselves standing on a wide open balcony overlooking an ancient control room.

"Well, well…haven't we been a busy boy then .."the sarcasm oozed from Rodneys voice as he surveyed the room below him, his initial shock now gone.

There were a dozen large consoles positioned around the room, each alight with frantic activity. There was a view screen positioned centrally to the consoles; it bore a striking resemblance to the main view screen used in the control room back in Atlantis. The huge screen was sectioned into four, each showing a different area of the countryside around them. There was an image of the village on one of the quadrants, the people clearly visible through the still pounding rain, going about their everyday duties; another showed the lakeside, and yet another, the front entrance of Jarek's home, with the pathways clearly defined. Across to the left of the consoles, in the corner of the room, an area had been cordoned off. The metallic pipes that they had seen disappearing into the ground earlier, now appeared again, this time leading down into the floor of the chamber to vanish into the lower depths of the structure. As Teyla glanced around the space, a movement caught her eye; just to the side of the central screen, she saw a flash of colour, the colour of an amber cloak.

"Rodney.." Teyla whispered to the scientist and pointed towards the figure below them. Rodney followed Teyla's indication, also catching sight of the man below.

"Ga'neth!" Jarek cried out as he saw the healer. Ga'neth looked up at the cry from above and froze. His face dissolved into dismay as he saw the group standing on the balcony high above him.

"No!..." Ga'neth's whispered voice carried to the trio above as he stood motionless.

"Ga'neth, what is this place! What have you done….what have you been hiding from us?" Jarek couldn't hold back, he glanced quickly about him until he saw the staircase leading down to the floor below then, lifting his cloak off the floor, ran down the flight of stairs to the control room below.

"Rodney, quickly.."

"Yes, yes.. I know …" Rodney followed the Tralosian down the stairs, closely followed by Teyla.

There were so many similarities between this place and their city back home that Teyla found herself looking around for other familiarities as they descended the staircase. There were stained glass lights set into the ceiling of the room above their heads, their colours casting a multihued warmth onto the grey floor below. The same large ornaments and planters as before stood around the room, softening the outline and rendering the room with a more homely feel. Teyla now realised that the rock cavern they had originally entered was no more than a facade, a stage set created to fool the villagers. This was Ga'neth's true home. This was his place of refuge and if Rodney had not found the shield devise, they would never have discovered the subterfuge. As they reached the ground level, Jarek ran across the floor space and was the first to reach Ga'neth.

"Ga'neth, my friend…" Jarek was unsure, he had known this man many years, but now did not now know what to say to him.

"Jarek, I am truly sorry that you had to find out like this.." Ga'neth cast a glance across at Teyla and Rodney as he spoke, anger burning in his eyes. "I never intended to deceive you, I-I have only ever wanted to protect you and the others; to keep you safe."

"Safe!...safe from what Ga'neth?" Jarek's face was displaying the full gamut of emotions, his original fear having been replaced by uncertainty and now anger. "Safe from you...safe from these people?" he indicated behind him.

"Safe from violence, safe from war!" Ga'neth spat the answer at the man, "safe from all of the horror that these worlds can offer… I have tried to protect you from it all!!"

"Ga'neth, these are good honest people, they have a great inner strength, why did you feel that they needed your protection?" Teyla tilted her head a fraction as she waited for the old man to answer. She was as shocked as Jarek at the events unfolding here.

"Did you really think that you could hide this from the villagers for ever!" Rodney stepped forward as he spoke, " did you think they would never find out about you, about this" he indicated the room with a sweeping gesture.

"They have lived here for hundreds of years with no knowledge of this place, so…yes in answer to your question, I had hoped that they would remain ignorant of this places existence."

"Hundreds of years! ..I do not understand, please Ga'neth, tell me that what you speak of is not true!"

Ga'neth's face softened as he looked at the Tralosian.

"It is true Jarek. I am as these people quite rightly stated, an Ancient. I have lived amongst your people for all of these long years, changing my appearance as necessary to allow myself to be accepted as the generations passed. I have born many faces over the years, always as healer and ..always as a friend."

"But why did you not tell us about your true self, why hide from us" there was distrust present in Jarek's voice and Teyla could also detect the barely suppressed anger bubbling below the surface.

" Yes 'Ga'neth, if that is your real name…. why hide here, why not live amongst the 'people'. Rodney's voice again dripped sarcasm and leaning against one of the pillars, he waited for the answer.

Ga'neth sighed deeply and his original bluster seemed to deflate as he sat against the edge of one of the consoles.

"My people came here many years ago, with the sole intention of building an observation outpost. We wanted to study the indigenous population as they evolved. We set up this base secretly as our centre of operation. There were no settlements on this part of the planet at that time, so we were able to construct the base in secrecy. The pumping station that you see was built to provide water to the base. It was never designed to deliver water to the villagers during the dry seasons, but I …persuaded the others in the group that we should put in place the necessary mechanics to allow such a thing to occur. I... felt we could offer a little help to the people, I suppose that was probably where I was wrong; I became too involved." Ga'neth's expression became wistful as he remembered the events of the past. " As the construction of the pumping system took place away from observation, we placed evidence that led the villagers to their assumption that the pipeways had been left behind by previous settlers. They assumed that they were fed by the springs underground.. and we allowed the assumption to continue" he looked across at Teyla and swallowed hard. "We also developed the weapon that you were unfortunate enough to fall foul of…" He held up his hands as Rodney rose to his feet, " the weapon was originally designed to protect the outpost from attack, not the village… but, unbeknown to them, it has been used to save them on many occasions, from many enemies … including the Wraith.."

"You said that your world had not been touched by the Wraith Jarek!" Teyla looked at the Tralosian as she spoke.

"No Teyla, this world has never been touched by the Wraith, I saw to it personally. I alone ensured that the Wraith ships never got close enough to be of any threat to my village."

"YOUR village, what about these people, don't they get a say in what and who protects them…and from whom they are protected" Rodney was incensed.

"We- that is I, needed to protect them. I couldn't leave them. I broke the fundamental rule of the ancients, I interfered in the lives of these people many years ago and now I have to stay here. My betrayal of the oath was discovered and I was banished here for all time … for caring too much." Ga'neth lowered his eyes and looked at the floor. "We were not supposed to stay here, the outpost was to be dismantled and we were due to return to our home world, but as the transport ships were leaving, I detected two Wraith darts that had appeared through the gate. I knew that I was not supposed to interfere, but I couldn't stand by and see the people that we had watched for so long decimated by those 'animals'. I acted alone, I activated the weapon, a weapon that was only intended as defence for our outpost. I destroyed the ships and as a consequence I can now never leave this place, I am bound to these people."

Ga'neth stared at the three in obvious discomfort. Jarek rose to his feet from his position by the stairs,

"Ga'neth, we have seen many ships caught by the lightning…is this your 'weapon', is this how you have 'protect us'." Jarek looked in astonishment at the man in front of him. This was the man that he had sat with and traded stories.The was the man that he had entrusted Mena's life to during a difficult birthing.The man that his children ran to in delight when he appeared for the council sessions.This was the man that he now realised he knew absolutely nothing about at all.

"The lightning is an energy weapon Jarek, it was designed to protect us from our enemies, but it has saved the lives of you and the villagers on many occasions."

"And were all of your 'enemies' Wraith, Ga'neth? Had all of the 'enemies' you destroyed hurt your people, or had it just become easier to indiscriminately destroy any ship that came through the gate!" Rodney couldn't help himself. The colour was rampant on his cheeks and his eyes flashed with anger.

"Rodney, let Ga'neth answ….." Ga'neth cut Teyla of as she began to speak,

"No he is right… I have become too protective, these people have become like my children, I could not bear to see anything or anybody ruin the tranquillity of their lives, the peace that they have held so dear. I have become too protective towards them…I have so clearly been wrong."

"Damn right you were wrong, these people are not your children, they are living breathing human beings, not puppets, you cannot stifle their existence, they deserve your respect, not your protection."

"Rodney is right.." Teyla began,

"I am!" Rodney looked surprised.

"Yes, these people are not your children Ga'neth, they deserve to be allowed to experience life to the full. How can they develop without experiencing everything that life has to offer them. How can you expect them to grow and mature without suffering the good as well as the bad. These are the very things that shape our lives. They make us who we are and who we will turn out to be"

"I had hoped that our existence here would remain a secret, that this oasis of peace would remain undiscovered."

"Ga'neth, do you not realise that it was the very power signatures that your weapon gives off that attracted us here in the first place!"

Ga'neth looked puzzled by Rodney's admission,

"I did not realise that the energy signatures were strong enough to travel such distances."

"It's not the dormant signature that shows up…when the weapon activates, the power spikes through the roof, that's how we detected you in the first place. Switch off the power, no spike, therefore no visitors… easy, and..um, no need for a ZPM." Rodney allowed himself a small smile as he saw the look of surprise on the old mans face, then the smile dropped as he remembered why they were here.

"Oh my god…Sheppard, Ga'neth you have to help him.. he is very sick…he may be dying" Rodney felt the words stick in his throat as he said them. He had an image in his mind of the last time he had seen his friend and it wasn't an image he wanted to dwell on.

"He has been touched by the Wraith" Ga'neth almost spat the words as his expression changed to one of disgust. "I felt it in his blood, there was Wraith there, I cannot and will not touch him."

"He is not Wraith Ga'neth. He was captured by one of our most resilient enemies many months ago. This man wanted to negotiate for an exchange of prisoners by using Colonel Sheppard as a hostage. Colonel Sheppard refused to allow this trade to take place, even though he knew it meant he would be fed upon repetitively by the Wraith that they were also holding captive."

Teyla found her voice breaking with emotion as she remembered the look of anguish on John's face each time the Wraith had fed upon him. "He allowed himself to be fed upon so that our allies would remain safe, people that we barely knew. He is a man of extreme loyalty and honour Ga'neth. The Wraith saw the honour in him and refused to end his life totally. Colonel Sheppard helped the Wraith to escape and in repayment of that debt, the Wraith gave him back the life that it had taken. That is the reason that you sense Wraith in his blood Ga'neth, because of a debt of honour and because he cares deeply for his people….. as you do."

Ga'neth was stunned, "I had heard rumours of the Wraith returning life to their victims but, never did I imagine that the rumours were true!"

"Well, they are…and we are running out of time!... Ga'neth, we need to go. Help us…please?" Rodney was almost at breaking point, he couldn't stand here and watch their only chance at saving Sheppard's life slip away.

"Ga'neth, John is a good man, he has incredible courage and a great strength of spirit, but he himself would also admit that sometimes he cares too much, as you do. He has done things in his past that he considered right at the time, to save others, as you have.He has broken orders in order to help his friends, as have you. You are not a bad person Ga'neth,you did as you did out of compassion and love, but Colonel Sheppard is not a bad person either. He needs your help, please…."

Ga'neth stood and studied the group before him. Jarek, shell shocked and uncertain. Teyla, whose argument had shown passion and honesty; and Rodney, his heart clearly displayed on his sleeve.

"Very well," Ga'neth slumped visibly as he came to his decision, " but we will need to make haste. If the life leaves his body before we arrive, there will be nothing I can do."

"Thank you Ga'neth, I can only hope that we are in time" Teyla dipped her head in thanks to the ancient and he reciprocated.

"Yes, yes…we need to go NOW, Teyla!.." Rodney had already jogged to the base of the stairs and now stood waiting for the others. Teyla waited for Ga'neth to move forwards before she made a move herself. As she passed Jarek, she saw the look of shock still evident on his face and she went to speak, but he raised his hand and shook his head, he needed time. Teyla nodded and gestured for him to precede her up the stairs then followed, lifting her hood up in preparation for the return journey and holding hope in her heart that John could hold on that long.


	10. Chapter 10

Well, this is the final chapter. I hope you have enjoyed reading the story, I know I've enjoyed writing it. If I write again, hopefully I will be able to get my head around the characters a bit better next time, you know what they say…if at first you don't succeed! Anyway off we go…..

**Chapter Ten**

The embers in the grate had burnt down, and the light that now permeated the room barely reached the corners; casting shadows that danced across the walls as the guttering flames passed caressing fingers through the remains of the kindling. The warmth that had been present for the last few hours was dwindling and Ronon shivered slightly as he sat and waited. The servant girl Malina had appeared early to enquire as to weather she should re stack the fire with more wood, but Ronon had refused. The temperature in the room had not been helping the condition of the sick man lying on the bed, and although the warmth had dried his sodden clothes, Ronon had felt that the need to keep Sheppard's temperature down was by far and away more important. He had continued through the afternoon to use the cooling water as best he could to ease the stricken man's condition, but he was well aware that there was very little he could do to prevent the inevitable from happening. The last of the Morphine had been used hours ago and there was nothing left in the meagre supplies that they had brought with them from the crashed jumper that would bring any relief now.

Sheppard's body was wracked by the shivering that had become his constant companion. The tremors danced along his muscles as he lay on the sweat drenched blankets, his limbs twitching uncontrollably. His eyes flicked open occasionally and he would cast a glassy look around the room, but Ronon was well aware that the movements were involuntary, that Sheppard was completely unaware of his surroundings. He had started to wake more and more recently; Ronon knew that the pain relief was finally wearing off and that the end was not far away for his friend. The thought sent a shiver down his spine and anger spiked cruelly at him as he thought about the total futility of their situation. They had come to this world as explorers. They had come with friendship. This world had responded to them with violence and deception.

He didn't purport to understand, or appreciate the significance of the 'ancients', all he needed to know was that they were the original gate builders and that they could at the end of their lives ascend. He couldn't 'get' ascension. In his world, when your life ended, that was the end; a warriors end. He hoped to go with honour and bravery when his time came, but that would be his time. He had seen many things during his short time with the Atlantean's, that had challenged his view of the world, probably more that his total life's experience up until the moment he had met them. He had seen many things that had shocked him, but probably non more so than the Wraith who had given back life. After all the years on the run from those creatures and the experiences that filled his memory, he had found himself unable to comprehend that act of compassion. The Wraith were not compassionate creatures, they were incapable of showing kindness and had no honour, but the Wraith that Sheppard had been held with all those months ago, had obviously seen things differently and Ronon had found it very hard to accept.

Another groan from the direction of the low bed brought Ronon's attention firmly back to the present. He rose from his position by the dying embers of the fire and once again took up the heavy jug of water. The servant girl had refilled the pitcher several times during the afternoon, each time replacing it on the small table and leaving the room with a nervous look at the two team mates. The last time she had come, Sheppard had cried out. She had not been prepared for the depth of feeling that that one cry had encompassed and she had jumped, the jug dropping from her fingers. It had spilled its contents over the wooden floor boards and soaking the woven rug by the bed. She had raised a hand to her mouth in fear, but Ronon had bent gently down and retrieved the fallen, but unbroken pitcher, handing it back to her with a tight smile. She had seemed uncertain what to do, but had nodded her head to him and hurried from the room.

Ronon soaked the cloth bundle in the cool water and once again wiped the cool rags over Sheppard's fevered face. Sheppard responded to the touch, his head jolting as the cold cloth made contact with his searingly hot skin. He had passed the stage of being able to communicate, the heat coursing through his body had robbed him of any sense of time or place. The only sounds that now passed his lips were agonised gasps as the waves of agony pulsed through his body and stuttering breaths as his body struggled to hold on to life it.

The door opened softly and Mena entered the room. She had visited several times during the afternoon to offer food or water to Ronon, but on each occasion he had refused. He needed to stay totally focused, and the thought of eating had sent his stomach into cramps.

Mena had taken the events of the last day quite hard. All of her beliefs about their time here had been challenged and she now found herself doubting many aspects of their lives. When the strangers had first arrived, she had acted with her usual decision and total assurance, organizing the rooms and preparing for their arrival. She was used to dealing with most situations that arose during the everyday running of the village, weather it be a disagreement amongst villagers, or a council meeting to discuss their food stores. She was used to being in control. For the first time she had found herself out of her depth and unable to control the events that she found herself confronted by. Ga'neth had always been a guiding light to her, his council invaluable and his friendship a great comfort. Now she found herself unable to comprehend who he was, this 'ancient' that they had spoken of. She had always wondered at his ability to heal with his hands, but all of their healers had been given the same gift, their historical writings had confirmed it as so.

She had never witnessed him refuse help to anyone in all their time together as friends. She had always trusted that whenever he had been called upon, he would respond with his usual smile and friendship. The healers had through time, always known the best combinations of herbs to use for most ailments, and this knowledge had passed from one healer to the next as had the gift of the healing hands, so for Ga'neth to leave the man before her to die astounded her. What had he done that had caused such a dramatic reaction? What had Ga'neth sensed that had driven him away?

"How is your friend, does he worsen?" Mena looked enquiringly at the Satedan as he tended to Sheppard.

"He is worse, yes." Ronon kept his answer short, his concentration focused on the job at hand.

"Is there nothing that you have brought with you that can bring comfort to him, have you no more of the 'morfin'?" Mena approached the bedside. As much as she knew that these people were strangers to her, she did not feel afraid of them. She could see that Ronon was a man of great strength, but as she watched him tend to his sick friend, she was also struck by the tenderness that he displayed.

"Would you not allow me to send for some food, you need to eat. You cannot tend to your friend if you are feeling weakness in your own body, please allow me to send for bread and our cheeses.."

Ronon looked up at the woman's face and saw the compassion written there.

He almost felt that if he stopped and tended to his own needs, he would be betraying his loyalty to Sheppard, but she was right, he needed to eat to keep himself alert. He nodded his head,

"That would be good ..thank you"

"Good, I shall arrange for the food to be brought here if that is your wish?"

Ronon again acknowledged her with a slight nod, he needed to be near Sheppard, in case..

"As you wish then," she hesitated as she turned towards the door, her heart reaching out to the quiet man " ..is there nothing more you can do for your friend, has all hope faded?" She could see the anxiety he wore on his face, the brusque features softened by worry and it pained her.

"No, I doubt even Beckett could help him this time," the last part he spoke almost to himself as he looked back at Sheppard's form. The only hope that he held onto was that Teyla and Rodney were able to convince the old man to return; convincing him that they posed no threat to either himself or his people.

"I will return shortly," Mena locked eyes with the Satedan, then turned and disappeared through the doorway, closing it gently behind her as she did.

Ronon rubbed his face with dirty hands as he sat beside the bed, he was exhausted and the wound on his calf had decided to start throbbing mercifully. He pushed at the dressings that had been wrapped around the gash, needing the pain, needing to regain his focus. He stood suddenly and started to pace the room, he felt like a caged beast. He wasn't used to being the one left behind, he was normally at the forefront of most situations, not left behind waiting, but he had to be realistic and was fully aware that practically, he would have slowed them down if he had insisted on going.

The door opened as he stood by the dying fire, and the serving girl Malina entered with a tray of provisions. There was a goblet of water and a wooden platter holding chunks of fresh bread and several cheeses on the tray that she placed on the side table. Ronon nodded his thanks and she gave him an uncomfortable smile in return. She gestured for him to eat the meal, then turned and left the room; Ronon was left alone once more.

The food looked appetizing, and Ronon felt his stomach grumble as he picked up the bread. The food was most welcome, he hadn't realised how hungry he really was until he had smelt the bread. When he thought about it, he hadn't eaten since yesterday late morning; it seemed such a long time ago now.

Settling himself back into the chair after eating the food, he felt his shoulders relax and he allowed his eyes to drift closed for a fleeting second. He was exhausted and the warmth of the fire was permeating his body and he felt himself drifting away. The room had become very quiet, even Sheppard's breathing failing to break the silence. Ronon's eyes shot open and he looked over worriedly at the far too still body on the wooden bed. The stuttered breath that he had been listening to for the last few hours was gone and the irregular rise and fall of Sheppard's chest had ceased.

With a cry of anguish, Ronon leapt up, overturning the chair in his haste to reach Sheppard's side. At the side of the bed, Ronon stopped and extended a shaking hand to touch Sheppard's neck. There was nothing, the weak but very fast pulse that he had felt earlier had gone.

Ronon acted on impulse and threw the blankets surrounding the motionless figure off the bed and onto the floor. The pillow under his head was jerked away and discarded.

Ronon couldn't let it end like this. He couldn't let his friend go without fighting tooth and nail to bring him back; to give him a little more time.

Ronon knew the basics of CPR, but it had been many years since he had been forced to use what he had learnt. The military training camps on Sateda had insisted that basic field medical techniques were learnt and practiced thoroughly, and Ronon was nothing if not thorough.

The bed was very firm, the mattress stuffed with a course straw like filling, so he pulled Sheppard's body farther down the bed and tilting the man's head back to start rescue breathing. He looked for the rise of Sheppard's chest with the first breath and satisfied with the resultant movement, pushed in another. Checking that the breaths had exited and positioning himself to the side of the motionless body, he placed his hands centrally on Sheppard's chest and putting his bodyweight behind it, pushed straight down sharply, feeling the ribs give slightly under the pressure. He continued the compressions, counting as he did and after reaching thirty, stopped and felt for a pulse. Nothing.

"Damn it Sheppard, you are NOT going to give up like this." Ronon shouted at the man in anguish.

"Fight this!" Ronon was incensed. He couldn't lose his friend like this. Once more he pushed two breaths into the motionless body and once more he placed his hands intertwined on the sweat stained shirt, pushing down sharply. As he put his body weight behind the downwards pressure, he heard an audible crack; then he felt the previous soft resistance give under his hands.

"Oh Crap!" Ronon cursed at his mistake, but he knew that he couldn't stop, broken rib or no broken rib, so continued the compressions. Sheppard remained motionless, his eyes closed, unaware that Ronon was fighting to save his life.

Again Ronon felt for the missing pulse at Sheppard's neck and again there was no change.

"Sheppard! Damn you!" Ronon's voice broke with emotion and he put his hands on his friends shoulders and shook him. As he let the man drop back to the hard mattress a slight movement caught Ronon's eye. He once again searched for a sign that Sheppard was still in there and this time as his hand fumbled to find a pulse, he felt a flicker of something beneath his fingers.

"Come on Sheppard, don't give up." Ronon watched with baited breathe as Sheppard's chest rose slowly, stuttered,fell slightly and then rose again. Ronon squatted on the floor, his face soaked with sweat. His arms shook as he waited for Sheppard's breathing to stabilize. It had been too close.

Ronon stayed motionless for what seemed an age on the floor, just content in the fact that his friend was still alive. Then he struggled to his feet and picking up the chair that had been cast to the side during his struggle to save Sheppard's life, collapsed into the wooden frame and placed his head in his hands.

"Sheppard you do that to me again, I will kill you myself." Ronon's voice was hoarse with tension as he looked at his friend and the reassuring rise and fall that indicated his return from deaths door.

"Ronon!" Teyla's voice rang out as the door was flung open and she ran into the room.

"Oh my god ..he's dead isn't he, we were too late," Rodney had seen the Satedan sitting in the chair with his head in his hands as he had followed Teyla through the doorway.

"Ronon, we have brought Ga'neth with us, are we in time?" Teyla's voice was thick with worry as she approached the Satedan. She almost felt afraid to look in John's direction, in case he was..

"About time!" Ronon felt the pent up anger and worry release as he saw the figure who followed his team mates through the door. He rose up and moved towards the old man, anger clouding his thoughts.

"You left him to die. What sort of person are you!?"

"Ronon.. we can explain later. Ga'neth please…can you help Colonel Sheppard"

"Is he still.. alive?" Rodney swallowed nervously as he looked from Ronon to the too still figure on the bed.

"He's alive," Ronon still couldn't hide his anger and he stared at the old man as Ga'neth approached the bed, "it was close, his heart stopped. I had to restart it."

"You had to what!" Rodney looked in amazement at Ronon's simple admission.

"I restarted his heart. Think I may have broken a rib though"

"Broke whose rib, yours or Sheppard's!"

"Sheppard's, may have pressed too hard." Ronon shrugged his shoulders, the bravado statement covering his real worry and he returned his attention to the healer who now stood beside Sheppard's bedside.

Ga'neth seemed to pause as if to compose himself as he stood beside the deathly still body, then, having readied himself, he placed his hands over Sheppard's chest and stomach, holding them just above the surface. He closed his eyes. The soft glow that they had seen during the last attempted healing reappeared, but this time the glow intensified, shedding a warm light over the sick mans body. Sheppard's eyes started to flicker beneath their lids and his body writhed slowly on the bed as the light grew stronger and more intense. Ga'neth frowned, his face twisting as the effort of the healing process started to show. Sheppard's face contorted in pain, his body shaking as the healing started to transform his injuries. The wound above his eye slowly closed, leaving only the bloody mark to indicate its original position. As Ga'neth's face began to show signs of strain, Sheppard cried out and his body convulsed, dropping to lay still on the covers. Ga'neth's crumpled, his body drained by the effort that the healing had taken.

"He.." his voice was strained, the effort clearly written across his face, "he will live." Ga'neth walked to the chair beside the fireplace and sat, his eyes closing with fatigue

"What happened, is he OK?" Rodney moved to approach the colonel's side, but Teyla placed her hand gently on his shoulder.

"Rodney wait. Give him a moment." Teyla closed her fingers around Rodney's shoulder and squeezed them slightly, giving him a reassuring smile.

The room was silent for what felt like an eternity to the waiting group, but finally a dull groan escaped from John's lips and as they watched, his eyes flickered and opened. He looked around at the faces and saw relief wash over their expressions. Teyla was the first to react, moving to take John's hand in hers.

"How do you feel John, can you move?" she couldn't quite disguise the worry that still broke her voice slightly. John looked up at her, blinking his eyes in confusion.

"Teyla, where have you been, I remember you leaving… I think, but after that things are a bit hazy. Did you find who you were looking for?" John's innocent question brought a wide smile to Teyla's lips, and she turned to the group behind her and indicated towards Ga'neth.

"Yes John, we found the one we were looking for, he.." she searched for the right words, "he is a healer here and he has given you back your life." A cough from Ronon caused her to raise an eyebrow as she cast him a sideways glance. "with a little help from Ronon.."

" A little help…he broke your ribs giving you CPR for goodness sake, .. well that is…."Rodney's outburst was tempered by the look that he received from Teyla.

"You broke my ribs… way to go big guy!" Sheppard coughed, holding a hand to his chest as the after effects of Ronon's help made itself known.

"You died, what else could I do," Ronon's sarcastic reply was welcomed and the mood immediately started to lift in the room. John held Ronon's gaze for several seconds and although no words were spoken, the message that passed between the pair was clear, '_no worries'._

The chair by the fire creaked and Ga'neth rose to his feet. He looked exhausted, his features strained.

"I have an apology to make." He walked slowly to John's side, " It was I who caused your ship to crash, I unleashed the weapon without knowing who or what you were. It was also I who refused to treat you before I was made aware of your 'unique' attributes. I am deeply sorry for the pain that I have caused to you and your people, I have no excuses for my actions except to say that I- I cared far too deeply for the people that I have grown to call my family."

"Well, I believe that I owe you my life, what more needs to be said." John gingerly sat up on the bed, rubbing his chest as he did.

Ga'neth was speechless. He felt humbled by the forgiving nature of these people. How could they forgive his actions, the unprovoked attack on their ship…

"Ga'neth, we are a forgiving people by nature. We do not bear grudges against those who only wish to protect their family." Teyla took the old mans hand in hers. "All we ask is that you accept that your people need to be allowed to develop on their own, at their own pace. If that means that they then meet people from other worlds, it is not such a bad thing, there are good people out there." Teyla smiled at the old man, she knew that he would still have to remain on this world as was his punishment as afforded by the ancients, but she hoped that he would allow his 'children' to expand their horizons.

"I am humbled by your generosity, I should have been more trusting. I shall try to be in the fut……" Ga'neth was interrupted by the door opening. Mena stood silhouetted in the doorway, and clearly present behind her was the worried face of Major Lorne.

"These men arrived in the village only minutes ago, they have been searching for their missing friends." Mena stood to the side to allow the new team access to the room.

"Colonel, we've been looking for you for some time. As soon as you became overdue for your check in Dr Weir ordered a search and rescue. Good to see you sir, everyone ok?" Lorne was followed into the room by the four marines that he had chosen to accompany him on the mission.

"I think we're fine Major, thanks for asking although, it will be good to get home." John had risen to his feet upon Lornes arrival, but he now sat down abruptly as he was side swiped by dizziness. "Woah ..that sucked"

"I thought you said he was cured!" Rodney rounded on the healer who stood by the door, "you said he was ok, ….and in my estimation he looked a long way from ok!"

"Rodney, I'm fine, just a bit disorientated that's all, calm down." John returned his attention to Major Lorne. "Well Major, I for one am about ready to go home," he looked about and saw Jarek standing with his wife, "I hope that we can become friends. I'm pretty sure that we would be interested in a trade agreement with you people in the future. You seem to have a good agricultural community going here and we could always use new trading partners, maybe we can help each other?"

"I am sure that that would be agreeable Colonel, there are many things that the council will need to be made aware of," Mena looked over at Ga'neth as she spoke, " but in time I also hope that our peoples can become friends."

Rodney nudged Teyla's arm and whispered to her. She gave him a stern look and tried to ignore him, but he wouldn't take no for an answer.

"There is the, um .. question of the ZPM."

"What ZPM Rodney?" John looked at the physicist in puzzlement.

"The ..uh the ZPM that powers the weapon!" Rodney looked at Ga'neth as he spoke, and the old man pushed himself away from the wall as he responded.

"There is no ZPM. The weapon is powered by deep core thermal energy. The network of pipes that you saw in our base, carry not only water, but thermal energy from deep under the mountains. We did originally use a ZPM, but upon discovering the untapped energy below us, we found it unnecessary."

"Oh.." Rodney looked deflated, he had hoped that they would be able to 'rescue' the power source and utilise it elsewhere.

"I would be happy to show you how we convert the energy, if you are interested."

"Really.." Rodney's expression changed instantly and he found himself once again excited by the prospect of a new, previously unseen energy source.

"One more thing Ga'neth," Rodney's expression hardened as a new thought crossed his mind, "when you first detected our ship yesterday, what was it that alerted your sensors to us?" Teyla knew what Rodney wanted and she turned with him, waiting for the reply.

"The sensor was not calibrated to a specific energy signature. I feared any technology more advanced than that which was present here, so it was not anything specific that my sensors detected, it was the ship in general."

"Then it wasn't my fault…" he spoke quietly to himself, his voice softened as he processed what the ancient had said, then more loudly he said "I thought it was all my fault ..the crash, but it wasn't" he stared at the faces looking at him, "What are you all looking at! Well ..are we going or not!"

John was the first to move towards the door, Ronon following closely at his shoulder in case he suffered any more 'dizziness'. Teyla followed, with Mena and Jarek. Rodney lagged back and allowed the team of marines to exit, before gesturing for Ga'neth to preceed him. As the group walked down the corridor towards the outside door, Mena slowed and then stopped as a thought struck her.

"How many worlds are there through the stone circle, apart from your own?"

"There are more than you could possibly imagine Mena," Teyla gave the woman a gentle smile, "we are but one of many worlds that you will discover if given the chance." Her eyes met Ga'neth's and he nodded his head in understanding. Teyla knew that he would find it hard to let his 'children' go after so many years of protecting them from all comers, but in time she hoped that his protective instincts would dull and he would learn to enjoy their company as his equals.


End file.
